WORK BOOK for youth workers engaged in career-focused education activities by NewDimensionInCareerGuidance

For youth workers engaged in career-focussed education activities

AUTHORS OF THE PUBLICATION: Gintarė Joteikaitė Nadzeya Putsiata Alena Dzinman Brigita Baškevičiūtė Solveiga Sama Anna Yadlovskaya Yauheni Luferchyk Aleksandrs Morozovs Tania Zhytkova Ieva Severinaitė Ekaterina Paderina LAYOUT: Paulė Januškevičiūtė EDITING: Monika Grigūnienė TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH: Marija Vikšraitytė-Žilinskienė This methodical publication has been prepared within the framework of the Strategic Partnership Project “New Dimension in Career Guidance” implemented in 2019-2021 with the participation of the following organizations: Vilnius Antakalnis Open Youth Centre “Žalianamis” (Lithuania) Youth Organization “Young Folks” (Latvia) Youth Organization “IT for Everybody” (Belarus) Organization “Badgecraft” (Ireland) Association “Madrus” (Lithuania) Reproduction and use of this methodical publication is only allowed in cases when it cited as the source. The development of this methodical publication is funded by the European Union under the ERASMUS+ Programme

CONTENTS Introductory word..............................................................................................................................................................5 Part 1. Planning canvas of career guidance program..............................................................................................7 Planning canvas of career guidance program.................................................................................................................8 Part 2. Introduction..............................................................................................................................................13 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth..................15 Group career counselling activities for young people: what is important to know?..........................................25 Individual work with young people, accompanying them on their career path...................................................29 Accompanying a young person to the labour market by organizing various forms of work placement......33 Being next to young people when they receive their first income........................................................................36 Development of youth entrepreneurial skills........................................................................................................38 Use of digital tools in career guidance................................................................................................................43 The importance of critical thinking in career development.............................................................................46

Part 3. Good practices..........................................................................................................................................51 Module I. Lifestyle.....................................................................................................................................................53 1. Lifestyle and career..................................................................................................................................................54 2. Time and energy management..............................................................................................................................58 3. Financial management.............................................................................................................................................62 4. Areas of life...............................................................................................................................................................66 Module II. Goals and motivation................................................................................................................................73 1. Learning and thinking...............................................................................................................................................74 2. Problem solving and change management.............................................................................................................78 3. Goal and vector........................................................................................................................................................82 4. Motivation.................................................................................................................................................................86 Module III. Emotions and inner comfort....................................................................................................................93 1. Emotional intelligence...................................................................................................................................................94 2. Emotion management.....................................................................................................................................................98 3. Comfort zone..........................................................................................................................................................102 4. Basics of Neuro Linguistic Programming..........................................................................................................106 Module IV. Job search methods and employment..................................................................................................113 1. Job search methods and work practice.................................................................................................................114 2. Curriculum Vitae (CV).............................................................................................................................................118 3. Cover letter and job search..................................................................................................................................122 4. Job interview...........................................................................................................................................................126 Module V. Business fundamentals..........................................................................................................................133 1. Idea pitch and business model...........................................................................................................................134 2. The emergence of money, entrepreneurship and pricing..................................................................................138 3. How does a business start?................................................................................................................................142 4. Marketing..........................................................................................................................................................146

Module VI. Idea positioning, sales.........................................................................................................................153 1. Presentation...........................................................................................................................................................154 2. Public speech............................................................................................................................................................158 3. Commercial offer.....................................................................................................................................................162 4. Sales......................................................................................................................................................................166 Module VII. Business communication......................................................................................................................173 1. Personal brand. Part I. The first steps in creating your own personal brand..................................................174 2. Personal brand. Part II: 6 steps in creating your own personal brand................................................................180 3. Organization of events...........................................................................................................................................186 4. Written skills, selling texts......................................................................................................................................190 Module VIII. Formation and empowerment of the group.......................................................................................195 1. Team building and needs.......................................................................................................................................196 2. Principles of leadership and their development, charisma..................................................................................200 3. Design Thinking......................................................................................................................................................204 4. Roles in the team....................................................................................................................................................210 Module IX. Effective leadership methods................................................................................................................217 1. Development of conflict situations and their resolution......................................................................................218 2. Empathic communication......................................................................................................................................222 3. Critical thinking.......................................................................................................................................................230 Module X. Implementation of social initiatives........................................................................................................237 1. Project management...............................................................................................................................................238 2. Attracting funding...................................................................................................................................................242 Literature................................................................................................................................................................254

Dear colleagues,

This methodological publication, which you are about to become acquainted with now, is the result of ten years of sincere work with young people, that was implemented by many specialists from three countries – Lithuania, Latvia and Belarus. Several key aspects connect all of these professionals. Once upon a time, they all realized that the formal education system did not meet all of a young person’s learning needs and that it does not provide him or her with the knowledge they need to realize themselves in the world outside of school. At one time, these professionals also realized that they did not intend to put up with that, and took active steps by involving thousands of young people of all ages in their career guidance initiatives and activities. These proactive people – youth workers, career consultants, mentors and educators – share another common important characteristic. It is an endless and sincere passion to create by carefully observing the needs of the young people around them and creating opportunities that allow them to discover the space, community and tools to pursue their dream career, to develop self-confidence and to feel safe when realizing their full potential and talents. This format of the methodology was born in 2013, when I first sent a five-page program from Lithuania to Belarus to my like-minded colleague Nadzeya Putsiat, the co-author of this methodology, describing in detail all the career guidance activities I implement with 9-12 grade students. In the program, I reviewed the most relevant topics for the participants, the methods I used, the structure of the sessions, the frequency of recurrences of the sessions. I also described the specific steps I take to attract participants.

Nadzeya has successfully applied all this information and within a few years has incredibly transformed and further expanded the ongoing program, thus touching the lives of thousands of students and changing them forever. We shared our experiences and enjoyed the results together. For several years, these followup activities took place on a voluntary basis, without receiving any financial reward, supporting ourselves with the inspiration of the idea itself. The main purpose we aimed for was to help students to develop their skills they could benefit from when taking first steps in their career which would be pleasing and respond to the inner needs of self-realization. We also sought to help students build a community in which they would feel support and understanding as they are moving towards the realization of their dreams. We understood two things: students like to get involved in extracurricular self-knowledge activities, and the continuity of ongoing programs, i.e. regular organization of activities, has a fundamental meaning, as it creates a sustainable community with a microclimate favourable to the personal development of the participants. Over time, the circle of such like-minded colleagues with whom we shared experiences of our implemented programs expanded, and their echoes settled in different organizations, names, and formats. Therefore, we are now happy to spread this inspiration and support in the form of this methodological publication even more widely. You can choose how and where to use this publication. You can completely replicate the separate parts and the described activities, which are fully completed and ready to be implemented. It is important to emphasize that all the information you will find is based on data on the thematic sessions that actually took place and were in greatest demand and the methods used in them. You can also draw on the information provided here and create a completely unique program of your own using the methods and information that attracted your attention. And most importantly, do not be afraid to start and try new formats when working with young people and in career guidance area. In this workbook, boldly draw, sketch, fold it, and bring it with you to the places where you work with young people. If you have any questions, wish to consult, gain support or implement joint initiatives, please feel free to contact the following contacts.

Warmest regards, Gintarė Joteikaitė Coordinator of the project “New Dimension in Career Guidance”

zalianamis@gmail.com gintare.joteikaite@gmail.com www.zalianamis.lt

Part 1 PLANNING CANVAS OF CAREER GUIDANCE PROGRAM

PLANNING CANVAS OF CAREER GUIDANCE PROGRAM Initially, when planning the development of this publication, the main aim was to gather from a variety of career guidance experts the most effective methods and syllabi of the sessions that they were ready to share. In the course of the project, it became clear that it is important for youth workers to understand and explore in more detail how career guidance activities are developed and how to plan them structurally. In other words, it was more important for career guidance professionals and youth workers to be empowered to express themselves creatively in creating their own unique program than to receive a methodological publication with all set answers. When communicating with colleagues, we have noticed that many of them confront in one way or another with the organization of educational activities, but at the same time they are looking for new inspiration, ideas, opportunities and experiences, on the basis of which they could improve their ongoing programs. This led us to reconsider the content and format of the methodology. The main message has changed – the set of prepared methods has been transformed into a workbook, which invites professionals to get inspiration from good practices and to shape their own set of unique activities for young people. The glued binding of the publication has been changed to a spiral one in order to make this publication as mobile and convenient as possible for everyday use – to fold, to conveniently open the required page, noting the relevant thoughts in it. We aimed to give youth workers the opportunity to use this workbook as conveniently as the authors themselves used their syllabi during the sessions – by bending their notebooks, holding them in their hands during the sessions and synchronizing parts of the session’s program. Responding to the need to receive assistance in shaping career guidance activities, we created a Planning Canvas of Career Guidance Program, which consists of twelve points, that include the analysis of available educational experience, target group and consistent planning of specific actions. This planning canvas can be used to plan both short-term, one- or multi-session projects, as well as long-term, ongoing programs. Below is a more detailed description of each of the twelve points.

been irrelevant and useless.

1. THE TARGET GROUP

• •

In this section, youth workers and career professionals are invited to describe in more detail the target group of young people they work with or intend to work with, defining in general terms the social characteristics and the circumstances in which their target group is located. We encourage you to better reflect on the lifestyle context of future program participants, the issues and difficulties these young people are facing, and to discover unique characteristics that are specific to this group. Perhaps your target group is young people from national minorities? Perhaps your target group is young people living in a violent environment? Or, perhaps, quite the opposite, the future participants in your program are qualified young people with considerable work experience and a good income who are looking for innovation and meaning? Questions to be answered: • • •

What are the characteristics of your target group? What are the biggest challenges your customers face? How is your target group different from others?

2. EXPERIENCE AND/OR INSIGHTS Specialists are invited to recall and outline all their previous experience, methods applied, remembering which of them have served the purpose and which have

Questions to be answered:

• •

What experience do you already have in this area? What are your insights and remarks from observing the experiences of other professionals in the field of career guidance or after receiving feedback from clients? What methods did you apply? Which methods served the purpose and which didn’t?

3. NEEDS OF THE TARGET GROUP After reviewing the first two points, we move on to the third one, where professionals are invited to name the needs of their target group to be addressed. In order to complete this section as accurately as possible, it is recommended to implement a survey, during which participants will be able to express their needs directly. Questions to be answered: • •

What skills does your target group need to strengthen? What forms of assistance and actions are relevant?

4. METHODS, WHICH ARE WORTH APPLYING In this section, we re-review all the sections we have completed before and we reflect on which methods have already proved their worth and we should continue using them, and which methods and forms of work should we abandon and try something new instead. So, what methods and forms of activities will you

continue to apply, and what are you going to integrate into your activities for the first time? 5. EXPECTED RESULTS Taking into account the characteristics and needs of the target group, we invite you to define what specific results you want to achieve in the planned program. Questions to be answered: • • •

What results do you intend to achieve by implementing the program? How will the quality of life of your customers change after the implementation of the program? What skills and competencies will you help to improve?

•

and program to your target group and the general public? How will you invite and involve participants?

9. TOOLS AND SPACES Let’s take a look at some practical questions about the spaces and tools you will use in your program. Will you implement all the activities in your usual spaces, or perhaps come to different places in order to implement mobile activities? Are you planning to use any special tools that are worth taking care of in advance? Questions to be answered: • •

What tools will be needed to implement the program? In what kind of spaces will the activities take place?

6. WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO?

10. FEARS AND WAYS TO OVERCOME THEM

These are all the additional nuances, ideas, questions and thoughts that have not yet been mentioned in previous sections. Write down all the aspects, tasks, questions, people that come to mind when you start considering the implementation of the program.

In order to achieve a quality implementation of the program, it is worth taking the time to reflect on personal fears and hesitations. When completing this section, it is very important to know that doubts, contradictions, and fears are perfectly acceptable emotions when undertaking a new activity. Contradictory thoughts always arise when leaving the comfort zone.

Questions to be answered: • • • •

What additional resources may you need in the development and implementation of the program? What challenges may arise? What are the funding possibilities you could attract for the implementation of the program? What people, institutions or organizations could help you? Other questions and ideas that you come up with when thinking about a program.

Questions to be answered: • •

What fears and doubts do you have when planning the implementation of the program? How can you help yourself to overcome these fears?

11. ACTIONS

It is a space for more detailed planning and structuring of your idea, taking into account all the thoughts expressed in the previous sections.

Finally, we move on to the concrete actions section. Once again, review all the ideas described in the previous sections and make a list of tasks to be done. What task will you undertake first? What can you already do today? Remember that it is important to always move forward, even in small steps. Every action, even the smallest one, opens up opportunities for the next steps.

Additional questions to be answered:

12. RESULTS OF MY DEVELOPMENT AS A SPECIALIST

•

7. PROGRAM

• • • • •

What is the PURPOSE of your program? What is the DURATION of the program? What is the NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS? IN WHAT LOCATION do you plan to implement the program activities? How will you receive FEEDBACK about the implemented program from the participants?

8. DISSEMINATION AND ATTRACTION METHODS After a more detailed reflection on the structure of the program, we move on to the issue of dissemination and the question of how to attract and encourage participants to participate in the program. Questions to be answered: •

How will you spread the word about your activities

And another often overlooked but extremely important section is personal growth goals. No matter how much value you seek to create for your target group, your personal growth and learning are no less important. Think about how you want to feel during the implementation of the program and at the end of your project? How will you evaluate that? Do not forget to think about how you could reward and pamper yourself at the end of the project, thus celebrating a job well done. Questions to be answered: • • •

How will the implementation of this program help you to develop personally as a specialist? What competencies and skills will you improve? How would you like to feel after implementing the program?

MODULIS: Gyvenimo stilius Planning Canvas of Career Guidance Program TEMA: Gyvenimo stilius ir karjera Vardas Pavardė

1. THE TARGET GROUP

2. EXPERIENCE AND/OR INSIGHTS

What are the characteristics of your target group? What are the biggest challenges your customers face? How is your target group different from others?

3. NEEDS OF THE TARGET GROUP

4. METHODS, WHICH ARE WORTH APPLYING

What skills does your target group need to strengthen? What forms of assistance and actions are relevant?

What methods and forms of activities will you continue to apply, and what are you going to integrate into your activities for the first time?

5. EXPECTED RESULTS

8. DISSEMINATION AND ATTRACTION METHODS

What results do you intend to achieve by implementing the program? How will the quality of life of your customers change? What skills and competencies will you help to improve?

How will you spread the word about your activities and program to your target group and the general public? How will you invite and involve participants?

6. WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO? What additional resources may you need in the development and implementation of the program? What challenges may arise? What are the funding possibilities you could attract for the implementation of the program? What people, institutions or organizations could help you? Other questions and ideas that you come up with when thinking about a program.

MODULIS: Gyvenimo stilius TEMA: Gyvenimo stilius ir karjera

Planning Canvas of Career Guidance Program

Vardas Pavardė

7. PROGRAM It is a space for more detailed planning and structuring of your idea.

PURPOSE:

DURATION:

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:

LOCATION:

FEEDBACK How will you receive feedback about the implemented program from the participants?

9. TOOLS AND SPACES

11. ACTIONS

What tools will be needed to implement the program? In what kind of spaces will the activities take place?

What are the planned next actions and tasks?

10. FEARS AND WAYS TO OVERCOME THEM

12. RESULTS OF MY DEVELOPMENT AS A SPECIALIST

What fears and doubts do you have when planning the implementation of the program? How can you help yourself to overcome these fears?

How will the implementation of this program help you to develop personally as a specialist? What competencies and skills will you improve? How would you like to feel after implementing the program?

For notes, ideas, observations

MODULIS: Gyvenimo stilius TEMA: Gyvenimo stilius ir karjera Vardas Pavardė

Part 2 INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

Author Gintarė Joteikaitė

In terms of career guidance in a modern, dynamic and constantly changing world and in trying to understand how a youth worker, who is well-prepared to work openly with young people, could best help his/her target group to face the challenges related to self-realization on the career path of a young person, it is important to take into account these aspects: 1. EXTERNAL ASPECTS OF ENVIRONMENT What are the tendencies of the rapidly changing labour market, where does technologies that evolve at an advancing pace lead us, what competencies and skills are and will be important in employment sectors now and in a decade, how the work culture of organizations is changing and why the internal processes in them are moving in this particular direction. 2. INTERNAL ASPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT What are the necessary psychological aspects of development for young people themselves and how career counselling differs for people of different age groups? How young people themselves are affected by daily changes in the world and what are the challenges that young people face in taking their first steps into the labour market? While working with young people, with groups of them or individually with one person (individual counselling, mentoring, or other types of guidance), a youth worker in one way or another confronts with the results of certain external aspects of the environment or internal aspects of psychological development that emerge in the young people’s self-consciousness. Thus, a broader overview of the situation will make it easier to make the right decisions at the right time or even initiate an appropriate discussion with the young people themselves, while looking for effective solutions together, creating a secure communication environment and getting to know the scientific context of a certain young person’s well-being.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

PSYCHOLOGICAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF A YOUNG PERSON AND THEIR IMPACT ON BEHAVIOUR RELATED TO CAREER CHOICE With regard to the psychological development of young people, it is worth relying on the psychological research of two scientists, Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson, and also on the systems of stages of the child’s cognitive development and psychosocial development created on the basis of them. Jean Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

AGE

DESCRIPTION OF THE STAGE

DESCRIPTION OF DEVELOPMENT

Sensorimotor Stage The world is perceived through the senses and actions (by looking, by touching, by chewing).

The world is perceived directly: there are only clearly visible objects which, if they are hidden, disappear into space and are not remembered. The baby lives in the present, immediately forgetting what he no longer sees.

Ages 2 to 6 years

Preoperational Stage A child learns to represent objects by words or actions, but he doesn’t think logically.

Thinking is egocentric, the whole reality is perceived only from the point of view of one’s own point of view.

Ages 7 to 11 years

Concrete Operational Stage It is the beginning of logical thinking, a child also begins to perform simple arithmetic operations.

The mental skills needed to understand mathematical transformations and conservation are developed.

12 years and over

Formal Operational Stage During this stage, people develop the ability to think about abstract concepts.

People also develop scientific thinking, mature moral thinking is possible.

From birth to 2 years

Eric Erikson drew attention to the psychosocial tasks of different stages of human life. Young children are characterized by stages of need for trust, then for autonomy, and even later for initiative. School age children begin to develop their craftsmanship, thus learning to be productive. Adolescents learn to understand and combine past, present experiences and future possibilities into a whole, thus shaping their personality and considering who they are or would like to be, what values are important for their future choices and what are the activities they want to relate their future with. Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

AGE

DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE AND WHY PARTICULAR STAGE IS IMPORTANT

Infancy (first year)

Trust vs. Mistrust When the necessary needs are met, the baby gains a fundamental sense of confidence. Proximity, care and security are needed in the career counselling process, because it is at this stage when a fundamental, subconscious sense of self-confidence as well as a sense of confidence in the world is formed.

Early childhood (second year)

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt The child seeks to be independent and confident. The process of career guidance requires care and, at the same time, the freedom to act on one’s own.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

AGE

DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE AND WHY PARTICULAR STAGE IS IMPORTANT

Preschool years (3-5 years)

Initiative vs. Guilt The child learns to accomplish tasks and how to exercise self-control. In the career guidance process, first responsibilities and non-urgent reflections on the results of actions are to be welcomed. Feedback from adults is accepted as the indisputable truth.

Primary school (from 6 years to the beginning of puberty)

Industry vs. Inferiority The child learns to feel capable or not capable, depending on the behaviour and the reactions of the adults that accompanied child’s actions. Giving the child feedback on his/her achievements and failures plays an important role in the career counselling process, which is accepted directly as an incentive (positive feedback) and discouragement (negative feedback) to perform one task or another.

Adolescence (from the beginning of puberty to 20 years)

Identity vs. Role Confusion The teenager tries out different roles, observing their results and feedback, thus searching for personal identity. This stage is characterized by egocentrism, assessment of situations only from one’s own point of view. Teenagers believe that only they alone go through different experiences. Because the areas of the brain of adolescents responsible for predicting the distant future are not yet fully developed physiologically, they usually behave following their emotions, without thinking about the consequences. In the career counselling process it is difficult for a teenager to plan his/her future and to answer the question of what he/she could be (become). At this stage it is more important to experience as much as possible. Therefore, the best solution for a youth worker is to enable the young person to try all possibilities and thus to find out what suits him/her and what doesn’t and what he/she likes or dislikes.

Young adult (20-40 years)

Intimacy vs. Isolation Young adults seek intimate relationships with other people and develop the ability to love. In the process of career guidance, it is important to be recognized, evaluated for results, to improve the quality of life and to search for meaningful activities. Young people are already able to reflect in detail on their past experiences, to project long-term strategic goals for themselves and to single-mindedly pursue them. Various technical tools of career counselling and individual counselling become effective.

Middle adulthood (40-60 years)

Generativity vs. Stagnation Man seeks to contribute to the improvement of the world in some way - by working or starting a family. In the process of career counselling, the meaningfulness of the activity an individual does comes first, together with the creation of well-being to people who are close to an individual as well as to communities.

Late adulthood (65+ years)

Ego Integrity vs. Despair Reflecting on his/her life, an individual may feel satisfied or frustrated.

It is important to mention that the work of the aforementioned scholars is based on the lifestyle model of the late twentieth century society. The current situation shows that children are growing and maturing much faster. Therefore the relevant stages of development described by Jean Piaget and their challenges have moved forward by several years and the psychosocial tasks of middle and late age described by Erik Erikson are observed in the stages of a young adult, and sometimes even in the stage of adolescence.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS, YO-YO TRANSITIONS AND OTHER FEATURES OF THE ‘BOOMERANG’ GENERATION In analysing the above-mentioned psychosocial issues of the 21st century in the context of youth life, it is worth noting several concepts based on scientific observations of the behaviour of modern young people. They can help to better understand and to take a broader view of certain decisions that young people make and the results of those decisions.

PETER PEN SYNDROME This concept of popular psychology first appears in Dr. Dan Kiley (psychologist) book “Peter Pan Syndrome: Men Who Have Never Grown Up” that was first published in 1983. It draws a parallel between the famous fairy-tale character Peter Pen and young adults who have already gone through their adolescence and who are talented and intellectual, but who cannot in no case release their illusions of perfect work, desires, global achievements, and happiness. This unofficial syndrome (it is not a recognized mental health condition) has the following characteristics: •

unwilling to work or continue to work without motivation;

•

●avoiding concentrating on one area and becoming an expert in it; an activity or work is taken freely and amateurishly, an individual is somewhere between several different areas and doesn’t commit to any of them;

•

●instead of creating a quality and deep connection, an individual focuses on wide-ranging relations and non-enduring relationships;

•

●the focus is on long-term, distant dreams without taking concrete action in the present;

•

●abuse of tonics (tobacco, alcohol, drugs);

•

●blame others and circumstances for personal failures;

•

●insufficiently thorough job search, there are no systematic and purposeful actions in realizing oneself in the labour market.

QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS Modern sociological research in the field of youth shows that the modern generation of young people is sinking into longer and more complex self-searches than any previous generation. It has the following features:

•

‘Stuck outside’ crisis: these are mainly young people aged 21-25 who are dissatisfied with the external circumstances, the professional heights they have not yet reached and their financial situation. They feel unhappy because they still fail to achieve the desired independence and success portrayed in American movies;

•

“Stuck inside” crisis: these are mainly people aged 25-35 who have already achieved the stability that provides well-being by starting a family, having a permanent job, hobbies, but they feel trapped in all that. They don’t have the nerve to change the situation due to the fear of looking irresponsible, behaving childishly, unlike an adult is supposed to behave;

•

●in adolescence they had high expectations of themselves and now they are disappointed that they did not achieve the desired results quickly enough;

•

●a tendency to either avoid romantic relationships or, conversely, to desperately engage in frequent sexual, destructive relationships;

•

●distrust of one’s professional abilities, appearance, sexual relations.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

SOME OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS INCLUDE: YO-YO TRANSITION Representatives of the 20th century generation were mostly characterized by a linear lifestyle, more precisely, by a specific lifestyle plot in which the following actions took place in a logical sequence: graduation, leaving the parents’ home, creation of a family, finding a job, purchase of a housing, plans for family trips and etc. Thus, stability and consistency prevailed. The current generation is characterized by a chaotic movement at different stages, in accordance with the principle of “step forward, step backwards”: graduation, leaving parents, volunteering abroad, returning home, finding a job, building a relationship, entering high school, separation, quitting the job, returning to parents, dropping out of high school, finding a job, leaving parents, etc. This is the way of life that is metaphorically compared to the principle of the well-known Yo-yo game.

BOOMERANG GENERATION It is a feature of modern young individuals to move back into their parents’ home after previously living on their own. This concept is primarily related to the economic situation of Western and post-Soviet states, where it is no longer so easy to live independently, especially for a young person, when one needs to maintain himself/herself and take care of all the necessary resources (food, transport, clothing, education, leisure, etc.).

INFORMATION ATTACKS It is also important to emphasize that the well-being of young people is also determined by the large-scale information attacks which they experience every moment. These are technical tasks for their brains and a strain on their nervous system, such as communication on social networks, news flows, heavy workloads, external and internal commitment to do loads of things and always strive for smth. All of that provokes problems caused by multitasking, anxious distraction when facing a large amount of information, impatience, dependence on social networks. Modern youth are obliged to always be available, to react quickly and efficiently.

BURNOUT SYNDROME This is another feature of mental health which is becoming more and more common among young people and which is related to all the above listed aspects: enormous workloads, perfectionist demands on themselves and too high expectations from others, multitasking, information attacks, etc. Burnout syndrome is characterized by emotional exhaustion, the symptoms of which are both emotional and physical fatigue, as well as high dissatisfaction with work results and the current working situation, emotional coldness when building social connections.

THE STRAUSS–HOWE GENERATIONAL THEORY In 1991, the peculiarities of generational differences were first discussed by two American authors, William Strauss and Neil Howe. They developed a theory based on differences in values between generations. These differences have been investigated and the reasons why these differences arose were explained. The detailed reasons are, among others, the political and economic situation, the technological development of the world, etc. It was not long before this theory was put into practice as it proved to be effective in the field of business management. The Strauss–Howe generational theory includes three main generations – Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z – and one additional generation – The Baby Boomer Generation.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

BABY BOOMERS (1946–1964, IN LITHUANIA – BABIES BORN BEFORE 1970) When the Second World War ended, the birth rate of children began to rise drastically in Western countries. One could, of course, still feel the consequences of the war, but the economy was growing gradually. The greatest values for this generation are teamwork and team integrity. Representatives of this generation are characterized by high perseverance and faith in collective success, as well as they have a strong sense of competitiveness and motivation to achieve their goals at any cost.

GENERATION X (1965–1976, IN LITHUANIA – BABIES BORN BEFORE 1985) Its representatives are characterized by such traits as the ability to rely only on one’s own strengths, alternative thinking, the desire to know what is going on in the world and a willingness to choose and change. Basically, these people are individualists, who, in the professional sphere, are tend to set their personal goals and pursue them persistently. The most important things for them are the highest possible position in the hierarchical structure of the organization and financial remuneration. At work, it is particularly important for them to have a clear understanding of what is required of them, what are the deadlines, limits and rules for meeting these requirements, and then to be able to act freely and independently. These are loyal employees who tend to climb the career ladder in the same workplace rather than change it. It is perfectly normal for people of this generation to remain working in the same workplace for more than 10-20 years. Organizations promote this culture of loyalty by giving solemn awards and bonuses.

GENERATION Y (1977–1998, 1986–2000 IN LITHUANIA) Perceptions of the pursuit of goals, success and professional growth of this generation are very different from those of Generation X, and this often leads to conflicts between these two generations. Unlike representatives of the generation X, most representatives of Generation Y are not inclined to start their career path from the lowest levels of the organization, hoping that over time someone will notice them and they will be promoted. These are smart intellectuals who hope to grow quickly here and now. This trait is also considered a weakness of this generation. Generation Y is characterized by having enthusiasm in being informed and trained in several different areas simultaneously – they don’t like the idea of only one type of occupational activity. Of all the current generations, Generation Y has the greatest potential in the world of business creation in the form in which it is still perceived, as its representatives are financially literate, have an excellent command of the technologies, are the most prone to working overtime and to continuous learning. Unlike Generation X, which values security, stability, loyalty and finance, this generation’s main values are freedom and flexibility. They also like the structure, the clarity of the process, and the detailed feedback. At work, they place high demands on themselves and have high expectations. Moreover, they are always ready to work hard and they are used to the fact that much is required of them. Finance is important to them, but they also care about other conditions such as a good atmosphere at work, working hours, the opportunity to learn and improve in the current environment.

GENERATION Z (SINCE 2000) It is still difficult to assess this generation from a professional point of view, as most of its representatives are still studying and are almost non-existent in the labour market. However, it is already noticeable that this is the generation that strives to get the highest result with the lowest effort. Its representatives have the strongest connection of all generations with technology, they like mobility and they prefer individual work when they can independently choose the place of work as well as their own working pace and style. Its representatives are passionate technicians who avoid long-term commitments and attachment.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

THREE STAGES OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE The open youth centres are visited by young people aged 14-29. Here they feel safe as they are able to share experiences, seek answers by interacting with youth workers and other visitors, to learn, gain new knowledge or just relax. It is obvious that this wide range of target group includes several contrasting age groups, which are important to distinguish in order to provide the most effective career counselling services possible. Based on our experience of working with young people, we distinguish three main stages of different psychosocial challenges and selfknowledge, the age at which young people go through these stages, and recommendations for youth workers who work with specific young people who have reached one stage or another of self-knowledge.

I. STAGE OF EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIMENTATION AND UNCERTAINTY This stage is the most common for young visitors to open youth centres (aged 14-19) who are still attending school and are beginning to think about a field to which they would like to link their professional future. This stage may also be typical of elder young people who have not yet asked themselves the following questions: “What would I like to become?”, “Which profession, field of activity suits me the best?”. The most common characteristics of young people going through this stage are: •

they do not have one specific or several obvious, definite directions where they see themselves;

•

lack of experience;

•

“Blind” speculations what one or another way of life or profession would look like;

•

uncertainty about the future;

•

often – a lot of energy, desire to try things out, to experience. However, the opposite feelings such as apathy and passivity in thinking about the future can also take over.

When working with young people at this stage, the following actions are important: •

to create an opportunity for the young person to try and get to know as much as possible during the learning process: to help to find international learning opportunities (youth exchanges, training, volunteering);

•

to organize several internships in fields that interest the young person as well as communication sessions with representatives of the relevant fields;

•

to help the young person to set short-term personal challenges, goals, the essence of which is to “touch” different areas that interests him/her, to implement personal projects and to develop leadership skills;

•

to organize regular reflections in order to help to understand which areas remain interesting after trying them out and which are not as relevant as they seemed initially.

The main need of a young person at this stage is to be close to the youth worker who accompanies him/her through experiences while monitoring the quality of learning, but without obliging him/her to make one or another decision about the future.

II. THE STAGE OF SETTING SPECIFIC GOALS AND ACHIEVING THEM This stage is experienced by more mature young people, aged 20-29, who usually have already graduated from school, started or not started studying in higher educational institution, and who have some work experience. At this stage, the young person already knows what specific field of activity he/she is interested in, has more specific

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

or more abstract visions of self-realization in those fields. The most common characteristics of young people of this group: •

activity that best meets the needs of the inner potential is already completely or almost clear;

•

there is usually a lack of specific professional or general skills, which are relevant to the young person’s field of interest and which are necessary for successful self-realization after the appropriate field has been chosen;

•

these young people often lack self-confidence, are unable to manage stress, are afraid to leave their comfort zone and to take unprecedented steps to initiate their dream activity or project;

•

there are deep-rooted internal restrictive attitudes regarding one’s personality and desires that prevent from moving firmly towards one’s goals;

•

there may be a perception that he/she has chosen the wrong field of study and the work does not provide a sense of satisfaction and self-realization;

•

it is difficult to formulate a clear action plan, operational strategy, to create the discipline needed to achieve the goals.

At this stage, what a young person needs the most is a mentor who, over time, would help to achieve specific goals, to reflect on successes and failures, and, once a young person finds his/her area of interest, would accompany him/ her at the beginning of the path to self-realization. In this case, the youth worker acts as an observer to whom the young person feels accountable for achieving the goals. The following actions are important while working with young people at this stage: •

to help the young person to understand what knowledge he/she needs to acquire and what skills to strengthen to achieve goals in the chosen direction;

•

to help the young person to set specific goals for a clearly defined period of time;

•

to help the young person to find a short-term or long-term internship in an organization which carries out activity in his/her field of interest, to organize a meeting with experts in the relevant field;

•

work related to internal attitudes that limit the person;

•

to organize reflections, through which the young person explores his/her successes and failures, achieved results, sets new goals and, after choosing a certain direction, plans his/her next steps.

III. NEW MEANINGS AND NEW HORIZONS SEARCH STAGE This stage is typical for elder young people (24-29 years old) who have already gained a lot of different work and learning experience, tried out various areas of their interest, but still feel they do not yet know what happiness is and don’t feel satisfied with their current way of life. Characteristic features:

•

often – acquired higher education (or even several), can be a great specialist in a certain field, hold a senior position, get a good salary, have opportunities for improvement, even develop personal business or other types of individual activities;

•

symptoms of burnout syndrome;

•

characteristic features of quarter-life crisis;

•

a person is prone to dive into deeper self-searches, into the search for the direction of faith, the process of understanding values;

•

no longer motivated by financial remuneration, creation of material well-being;

•

the aim is to find a way to be of benefit to society, to develop activities of global importance;

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

•

one may feel frustration with society;

•

one may feel frustration with personal choices in the past, underestimation of existing experience.

The following actions are important while working with young people at this stage: •

to reflect on internal attitudes that oblige a young person to take certain actions and decisions on his/ her career path, even though he/she doesn’t feel happy in doing so;

•

to help to explore the current past and foresee in it the path of improvement, as well as to explore positive aspects, acquired skills and wisdom;

•

to create conditions for exploring emotions;

•

to help to discover inspiring activities, projects, communities.

WHAT KIND OF EMPLOYEE DO MODERN EMPLOYERS DREAM OF? The ability to compete with dignity is one of the key factors that determines the success of modern businesses. Economic progress stimulates the emergence of new technologies and, together with them, new markets, for which once we establish a good governance mechanism, we can observe the most real economic miracles. Each technological innovation has its own leader, carrying out enormous territorial development and at the same time creating a revolution in one direction or another as well as new competition rules. This creates the conditions for rapid change, under which survive those who are able to quickly learn and adapt all the news to existing operational frameworks. Progressive growth is expanding into all sectors. Ways are already being discovered in which pharmaceutical products could affect human body at the gene level. Artificial intelligence acquires the power to perform complex operations which have not been possible until now without significant intellectual abilities and knowledge. Futurists predict that in 10-20 years, a significant part of the existing professions will disappear, because the need for certain specialists will decrease due to the accelerating automation process. Be that as it may, technology alone is not enough – people are needed to integrate it and use it in business. In the 19th and 20th centuries, technological and economic news could be gained in the world’s base universities, research centres or training centres for business structures. Nowadays, more and more young people are learning online, taking over the latest information from direct sources. In many countries of the world, the education system is no longer able to evolve and change together with technological progress. Thus, modern man lives in a complex, rapidly changing world, where diversity, uncertainty, social pressure and constant stress are essential factors of changes. The main mechanisms of adaptation when things are constantly changing are lifelong learning, cognitive flexibility and the development of emotional intelligence. It is also important to take account of three types of skills and develop them accordingly:

OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS

DIGITAL COMPETENCES

SOFT SKILLS

•

sales

•

problem solving

•

courage and endurance

•

data analytics

•

marketing

•

change management

•

multitasking skills

•

automation

•

finance

•

teamwork

•

strategic thinking

•

artificial intelligence

•

staff management

•

programming

law

results-based management

•

empathy and emotional intelligence

specific occupational skills

energy management

•

innovation

•

IT systems architecture

•

cultural flexibility

•

cybersecurity

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

500 leaders were surveyed while conducting an international study in order to find out the general characteristics of the employee that are the most valued by modern employers. The following characteristics were highlighted:

•

the ability to set priorities and focus on them;

•

initiative and enthusiasm to do more than expected;

•

intelligence and courage: the ability to speak up for oneself respectfully and firmly;

•

ability to neutralize toxic team members and conflict situations within the team, by managing primarily one’s own emotions;

•

responsibility and loyalty;

•

the ability to acknowledge and name one’s mistakes without hiding them;

•

in the event of a conflict, the ability to defend one’s position calmly, firmly and ethically;

•

the ability to find solutions to every problem;

•

attention to detail, the pursuit of perfection;

•

management of personal ambitions: the ability to respectfully accept the point of view of an opponent

•

continuous learning and improvement.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2

Group career counselling activities for young people: what is important to know?

CHAPTER 2

Group career counselling activities for young people: what is important to know? Author Gintarė Joteikaitė

Chapter 8 of this methodology proposes forty sessions based on the experiential results obtained while applying these sessions as well as on their relevance to young people of all ages. All together they cover the key competencies and skills needed for a young person when he/she is taking his/her first steps into the labour market or wants to reintegrate when retraining. Each of the proposed activities can be used as a separate activity, integrating it into your work programme, as a youth worker, with the target group. However, the greatest effect is achieved when the program is carried out in a continuous form, offering the young person the possibility to participate in it on a regular basis. Forms of the continuing youth program: 1. Forms of the continuing youth program: These are regular (once a week, once every two weeks, once a month) group sessions, each of which is organized separately, as an open event, inviting to participate in the sessions those who are interested in a specific relevant to them topic. In this case, the sessions are organized in an open youth centre and the young people are not obliged to participate in several consecutive activities. However, they engage in activities to the extent that is relevant to them. By organizing regular activities, the target group of young people in a certain field of activity is naturally forming. Such a group is gradually building its community. 2. Continuous work with the group. In this case, work is being done with a specific permanent group of young people, with their commitment to participate in the continuous program for a certain period of time (several weeks or several months). During the ongoing program long-term commitments are possible as participants pursue certain goals together as a team or individually, while reflecting on their experiences in groups. The most effective choice in this case is to organize sessions once a week, but, if that is not possible, at least once every two weeks. 3. Mobile work with groups. In this case, the youth worker comes to a certain settled group of young people or community (for example, pupil class at school) with activity session on a topic he/she proposes and conducts this concrete activity session once or does it in a continuous form on a regular basis. 4. Individual work. Most of the theoretical information and practical tasks can also be transferred to individual work sessions with young people, where their personal challenges are addressed. Ways to attract young people to group sessions: •

direct communication with current visitors, collecting data on what is relevant to them, which of the suggested topics interest them the most;

•

publicity of open events on social networks or in other ways, inviting young people to participate in activities scheduled at a specific time;

•

organization of mobile activities, when the youth worker himself/herself visits various youth communities

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2

Group career counselling activities for young people: what is important to know?

and organizes there one or more activities. In this case, the most interested participants can be invited to continue the program in an open youth centre. Examples of implementation of activity types (to be completed): Antakalnis’ open youth centre “Žalianamis” (Lithuania) “IT for everybody” (Belarus) “Young Folks” (Latvia)

STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT When organizing continuous group activities, it is useful to better understand the stages of team development and their features, especially in the development processes of youth career guidance activities. Bruce Wayne Tuckman states that each small working group goes through five stages of development for which the group leader should be prepared in advance. Depending on many factors, such as how well the participants know each other at the beginning of the program, the temperaments of the individuals, etc., these stages may be more pronounced or less pronounced, last longer or very briefly, but their sequence remains unchanged:

1. FORMING. It is a period of acclimatization in a group, when the participants of the program that has just begun observe, examine and get to know each other. One may feel tense and uncomfortable at this stage. It is important for the group leader to ensure that the participants are provided with sufficient practical information, a cosy and safe environment is created, and methods for participants to get to know each other are prepared. It is also necessary to initiate the clarification of expectations and fears and to create a list of group rules, as at this stage each individual instinctively tries to find common guidelines and rules.

2. STORMING. Feeling secure at the level of basic instincts, the group participants begin to analyse more intensely those around them and themselves in the existing space, and choose different social roles. At this stage, group leaders and the roles of existing team members become apparent. There is still a need for familiarization methods that can already integrate elements of teamwork in order to help participants to become more familiar with each other’s temperament, character, working and learning styles. In the case of a continuing career guidance program, when participants work together in the same group for several weeks and have common group tasks, it is at this stage when the first conflicts may arise, which are usually an expression of competition between two or more group leaders or non-recognition of the existing order of certain individuals. It is therefore important to encourage thorough group reflections on ongoing processes in order to reduce tension and improve group atmosphere.

3. NORMING. In the first stages, the most courageous members of the group were the most active ones, whereas in this stage we begin to hear voices of each member of the group and notice the unique contribution of each individual. Conflict situations that occurred during the storm phase are gradually being resolved. Although several group members may leave the group, the remaining participants gain more and more confidence in themselves and other team members. The roles of the group finally become clear, team building methods and their reflections become important and this gives the opportunity to take a closer look at the style of work and goal-setting of the entire group as a whole.

4. PERFORMING. Once the issue of group structure has been finally resolved, members can focus on goals, objectives, and an

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2

Group career counselling activities for young people: what is important to know?

intensive learning process. In the previous stages, the structure of the group’s activities (distribution of group roles, general rules and work procedures) was an essential task of group existence, which was at the same time bothering everyone, but now it becomes a tool, which the whole team relies on, and thus the whole team feels safe. It is the most productive stage of team development, both in terms of effective learning and the pursuit of team and individual goals.

5. COMPLETING. Finally, as the group approaches its goals, it inevitably goes through a completion phase when group members feel general fatigue, though accompanied by joy and excitement. At this stage, reflections play a key role in evaluating the ongoing works and the completed works. On the one hand, the individuals in the group have already established a relationship with each other, on the other hand, one start to feel social fatigue which can lead to new conflict situations when looking for ways to separate from the group. Therefore, when implementing career counselling programs for groups of young people and, in particular, when monitoring the implementation of their goals, it is important for the youth worker to draw the appropriate lifespan of the group’s existence, after which a general reflection is made and the end of the group’s lifespan is clearly announced. Upon completion of one five-stage cycle of team development, it is worth celebrating the achievements and, if necessary, creating the conditions that are needed to form a new group. It may also include former group members, but the whole cycle will be re-experienced.

WORK WITH GROUPS OF YOUNG PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGES Experience shows that by organizing career counselling activities in an open youth centre, it is possible to round up young people from all three of the aforementioned age groups (14-18, 19-25, 25-29) so they could learn and work together. Young people, who choose the suggested activities on their own, usually consciously understand the meaning of their involvement, have specific goals and do not experience any discomfort due to the age difference. When organizing activities for specific age groups, it is worth paying attention to the following aspects: Young people aged 14-18: •

young people are characterized by hyperactivity or, conversely, passivity, therefore the most effective ways of learning are active experiential activities which develop general social competencies and which are based on applied theatre methods, situation simulations, team tasks in the form of a game;

•

theoretical information should be provided in a non-hurried and small-scale manner, including discussions, open-ended questions, and by organizing group discussion sessions, where one or another issue is discussed in a group of 4-5 people;

•

the duration of one activity should not exceed 1.5 hours.

Young people aged 19-25: •

they often raise issues of retraining, seek to change their jobs, field of activity, improve their financial situation, dare to undertake their favourite activity;

•

they feel strong motivation to improve their social skills. At this stage, young people have already accumulated a lot of knowledge, but there is a need to strengthen the acquired knowledge. Both theoretical information and practice are relevant in performing individual tasks, as well as participation in experiential group activities;

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2

Group career counselling activities for young people: what is important to know?

•

it is important for participants to integrate new knowledge into everyday practice and it is therefore useful to think regularly about how new knowledge is applied;

•

longer single activity sessions are possible (2-4 hours including breaks).

Young people aged 25-29:

•

they often raise issues of retraining, seek to change their jobs, field of activity, improve their financial situation, dare to undertake their favourite activity;

•

it is important for participants to integrate new knowledge into everyday practice and it is therefore useful to think regularly about how new knowledge is applied;

•

longer single activity sessions are possible (2-4 hours including breaks).

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 3

Individual work with young people, accompanying them on their career path

CHAPTER 3

Individual work with young people, accompanying them on their career path Author Gintarė Joteikaitė

Working openly with young people while focusing primarily on those with fewer opportunities, is very important in our society as thus we can enable those who face greater challenges. When working with young people who visit an open youth centre, we inevitably discuss topics that are related in one way or another to career, self-realization, financial well-being. Usually a young person comes to the youth centre to relax, stay in a safe environment, communicate with likeminded people and a youth worker. The youth centre in this case is like a social shelter where the young person can feel accepted the way he/she is, as in the everyday environment he/she may feel rejected for a variety of reasons: lack of social skills, physical and/or psychological violence, financial situation, special needs and/or psychological problems. Thus, in some cases, a youth centre can become an alternative world for a young person, where he/she can rest from the socalled “cruel reality”. The aim of the youth worker is to create conditions for a young person to transfer the state of security and self-realization experienced in the youth centre into his/her daily life. What can prevent young people from successfully realizing themselves in society and pursuing their career path? There are two types of barriers (external and internal circumstances) that arise in everyday life:

EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES Financial situation There are financial difficulties in the family that prevent young people from fulfilling their desires, acquiring the things they want, and this puts them in a depressing psychological state. In this case, the youth worker should find ways to make the young person who experiences financial difficulties to feel that he/she may have same opportunities as the others, for example, to help to choose international exchange, volunteering, internship programs for young people, to implement projects that would provide an opportunity to travel, to get to know things and to experience. Social pressure and the rhythm of life As mentioned in previous chapters, the modern young person is under tremendous social pressure from all the environment that surrounds him/her: a young person is required to demonstrate high efficiency, a to have a good knowledge of technology as well as the ability to perform many different functions simultaneously. This is required by parents, teachers, friends, reality observed in virtual space. All of this causes exhaustion, symptoms of apathy, frustration and helplessness. A youth worker can alleviate the results of all mentioned consequences by creating the relaxing and non-binding atmosphere young people need in order to relax. It is also important to reflect on everything as well as recognition of the achievements and the ability to enjoy the results achieved. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen young people’s time and internal energy management skills.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 3

Individual work with young people, accompanying them on their career path

Commitments A young person who is studying at school or university, or has a permanent job may feel a heavy burden of obligations that hinders him/her from doing what he/she really enjoys as well as from realizing himself/herself in areas that really matter. Sometimes this can lead to feelings of helplessness and despair and willingness to bow to fate, whereas sometimes it can encourage to take drastic measures such as quitting studies or leave the job one doesn’t like. A person has the right to make any decision, but it is important for the youth worker to help him/her to weigh all the pros and cons and to ensure that the young person, after choosing any solution, remains safe and has thought of several future action plans or possible variations in the course of the situation. Violence It is important for a youth worker to pay attention to whether the young person experiences physical and/ or psychological violence in the immediate environment – at home, school, university, work or other everyday environment. When one becomes aware that violence is being experienced, it is important to work both with the young person himself/herself and with those around him/her to ensure the safe daily life of the young person.

INTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES Large circle of areas of interest, but not having opportunities to try them out This is usually the case for the 14-18 age group, who, due to a lack of practical experience, tend to create visions of certain activities, have several different areas of interest to which they would like to relate their lives, but remain passive and take no actions to become acquainted with them. In this case, the most effective tool a youth worker can offer is to help with organizing traineeships, during which a young person tries out all the areas that interest him and decides whether they are really as appealing to him/her as they seem at first sight. Having a specific goal, a dream, but not having enough courage to take actions Mostly typical for young people aged 14-18 and 19-24, as they do not have the specific social or professional skills needed to achieve their goals. The best thing a youth worker can do in this case is to organize activities that strengthen specific competencies and skills, as well as experiential activities which help to apply all that in practice. Established internal attitudes about oneself and the environment The elder a young person is, the stronger are his/her internal attitudes and beliefs which he or she consciously and unconsciously relies on in his/her everyday life. These attitudes are formed after experiencing certain positive or, conversely, traumatic experiences and by drawing conclusions about oneself and the world based on these experiences. These experiences can be both positive, which contribute to a young person’s self-confidence, and negative, which hinder the young person from taking certain actions which could contribute to successful selfrealization. The mission of a youth worker is, based on the real facts of everyday behaviour, to help the young person to consciously contemplate the internal attitudes he/she has and to understand which of them affects him/her positively and which of them have the negative effect.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 3

Individual work with young people, accompanying them on their career path

SUCCESSFUL METHODS OF WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE INDIVIDUALLY Individual work sessions or consultations with young people are one of the most effective tools when achieving long-term continuous impact in a young person’s life. They can be implemented in different forms, depending on the needs of a particular young person, using different methods. Here are some of them:

INFORMAL CONVERSATION No specific methods are used during this conversation, the results of the conversation are not recorded either. The youth worker can share his/her own experiences and personal opinion on the topics discussed. The young person is not obliged to take any actions, but can be stimulated, encouraged or supported to start doing smth.

PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING During this counselling major psychological challenges and emotional difficulties are analysed. Psychological counselling, which requires an appropriate communication ethic, has clear time limits and is only possible with a specialist qualified as a psychologist.

COACHING It is a process, the main goal of which is to help a young person to get to know himself/herself, his/her actions, thinking style and aspirations better. During this process people strive to perceive the learning process going on at the time and seek to find concrete solutions for the future. There are many coaching methods that can be adapted to specific relevant situations and topics.

SELF-MONITORING AND EMOTION-FOCUSED THERAPY During the therapy, emotions are consciously observed, people try to understand the feeling and sensation itself that is being experienced and they also seek answers to what can be deduced from these feelings and sensations about the person and his/her current situation. Finally, the person tries to decide what to do with the emotion he/ she is experiencing and where to direct it while striving to break free from mind-shaped interpretations about the sources of that feeling.

ANALYSIS OF INTERNAL ATTITUDES During these sessions, it is analysed what are the main internal attitudes that lead to recurring decisions that people tend to make in everyday life, the formed attitude on one issue or another. Decisions are then made on how to consciously adjust the limiting beliefs which interfere with living a full life.

ART THERAPY During such a therapy, the chosen topic relevant to the client is explored with the help of artistic means that express the predominant feeling, emotion, thoughts or visions. The work of art is then reflected and analysed.

NON-VIOLENT COMMUNICATION This method is perfect for resolving an internal or external conflict that a young person is dealing with. Internal needs and strategies for meeting them, which are applied in everyday life and in a specific situation that has provoked internal or external conflict, are examined. Finally, one starts looking for possible solutions that can be applied in order to resolve the situation.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 3

Individual work with young people, accompanying them on their career path

MENTORING AS A PROCESS TO ACCOMPANY A YOUNG PERSON WHEN HE/SHE IS FOLLOWING THE PATH OF SELF-REALIZATION Mentoring is an ongoing process of cooperation, implemented through conscious mutual consensus, which is based on a pre-established plan that meets the personal growth and development needs of a particular young person. A mentor is a serving leader who helps a young person to reveal his/her potential according to the course and pace of the learning process he/she has chosen. It is a supportive connection between a more experienced person who shares the accumulated experience and a person has less experience, but seeks to expand and deepen it. The mentoring process consists of three main components: participation in the learning process and being next to the person while this process is ongoing, desired effect, and constant reflection on the actions that are being taken. Individual work sessions or counselling can be seen as a one-off action, as one of the tools when working with young people, whereas mentoring is already a continuous process that obligates both parties to a long-term relationship. A youth worker can implement the mentoring process independently, helping the young person to successfully meet personal challenges and take more decisive career steps. However, we cannot rule out the possibility of discovering a mentor in a specific field and accompanying the mentoring process between the young person and an expert in a certain field. In any case, the mentoring process has clear stages which are characterized by peculiarities of the experience and connection that are experienced during those stages:

ACQUAINTANCE, SETTING THE GOALS goalsAt this stage, the experience gained on both sides and the young person’s personal goals and aspirations during the mentoring process are reviewed. During the first meeting, it may often not be possible to effectively set all the goals and formulate a structured action plan, so the mentor should leave creative space for the young person and ask to formulate a clearer plan for future action. 1. Separation of stages of achieving goals Usually, already during the second mentoring meeting, clear goals and actions are set, time limits are set as well as specific tasks that will be addressed are discussed. It is important to review all possible risks, strengths and weaknesses, fears and expectations, the possibility of lack of motivation and other aspects that could affect the learning process. 2. Accompanying and intermediate reflections Regular meetings are extremely important in order to reflect on the current process of learning and the process of achieving the set goals, as well as to celebrate achievements and to get rid of tensions and feelings of guilt and shame due to failed decisions and actions. It is essential for the mentor to understand any emotions a young person may experience and to help him/her at all stages, by always emphasizing the positive outcome of the learning process. 3. Farewell, or the beginning of a new mentoring phase At the end of the learning process provided for the first meetings, it is important for the young person to review the whole process and to absorb the lessons learned and perceptions made. If the agreed end time of the mentoring process is delayed, it will impair the learning process. Therefore, if necessary, it is better to finally complete the previous cycle of mentoring and then start a new one. It is also important to know that a correct formal distance must always be maintained between the mentor and the young person. The mentoring process, precisely because of its continuity, can often mean the formation of a close friendship, the transition from a formal to an informal relationship. However, it is important for the youth worker to adhere to work ethic and and do not switch to informal communication (informal friendship) until the mentoring process is completed. Otherwise, learning can become completely ineffective or even do harm to the young person.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 4

Accompanying a young person to the labour market by organizing various forms of work placement

CHAPTER 4

Accompanying a young person to the labour market by organizing various forms of work placement Author Gintarė Joteikaitė

This section presents the different forms of work placement that a youth worker has to deal with when working with young people and in order to help them to try out in various ways jobs that they are interested in. LONG-TERM INTERNSHIP Long-term internships are the most common form of internship, which is recognized and applied in the framework of the formal education system and in enterprise development strategies. This is usually a 1-12 months long project of mutual commitment and benefit, where the trainee, in cooperation with the chosen organization, undertakes to develop the necessary and relevant to him/her competencies as well as work skills. In this case, a written agreement can be concluded between both (trainee and organization) and three (trainee, organization and educational institution) interested parties, in which the objectives, tasks, duration and other conditions of the internship are specified. The advantage of a long-term internship is that during it a young person can examine in more detail and learn more about work specifics and culture of the organization where he/she is doing an internship, to get used to the work regime and develop certain work habits and discipline required for the chosen speciality. Also an indisputable advantage of this form of internship is that trainees often become full-rate paid employees of organizations, as the period of long-term internship also becomes their probation period.

SHORT-TERM INTERNSHIP Short-term internship has similar goals as long-term one – to get to know in more detail the peculiarities of the chosen speciality by exploring the internal and external processes that are taking place in the host organization. In this case, however, the commitments of the two or three parties mentioned above last significantly shorter, i.e., from one week to one month (in certain cases, a two or three parties’ commitment process which lasts up to three months may also be considered a short-term internship). During long-term internships, the intern is usually more involved in the various work processes in the organization and the related employment relations, whereas during short-term internships, specific limited functions and tasks are usually assigned which do not oblige (or give the possibility) the intern to gain a deeper understanding of the specifics of the organization’s activities and speciality’s work from different perspectives.

LONG-TERM VOLUNTEERING Long-term volunteering is a process that lasts from three months to several years. And nowadays, a precise definition of this type of volunteering is being actively sought in the youth field. One also seeks to establish a

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 4

Accompanying a young person to the labour market by organizing various forms of work placement

two-way relationship between the host organization and the volunteer’s ethical rules. The concept of volunteering in itself means that a person voluntarily provides services to a host organization, the aim of which is improving social and community life. Thus, the majority of society still perceives volunteering as a non-profit activity during which an individual “donates” his/her time and human resources while seeking to help benevolently and free of charge. At the political level, there are more and more discussions and debates about the fact that volunteering is formed as a process of mutual benefit, when the added value is perceived and received not only by the host organization but also by the volunteer. Thus, once volunteering would become a long-term internship that would create a mutual commitment: the volunteer would commit to providing human resources to achieve the goals of the host organization, whereas the host organization would commit to accompany the volunteer through the process of his/her learning, updating training, skills development and to validate his/her acquired competencies. This would be a win-win situation: the host organization would have a motivated volunteer performing the functions that are important to the organization, whereas during his/her long-term volunteering process the volunteer would acquire the tools approved by the organization that are important for his/her personal career. During long-term volunteering, the volunteer would establish a close personal relationship with host organization and would become dependent on it. SHORT-TERM VOLUNTEERING Short-term volunteering has the same definition and goals as long-term volunteering. However, in the case of short-term volunteering, the duration of the process and the volunteer’s role in the organization are clearly defined. This is usually a process that lasts from a few days to two–three months, during which the volunteer performs the same action, for example, nurse the people, takes care of animals, supports the event’s organizational team, performs administrative tasks, and the like. In contrast to long-term volunteering, short-term volunteering does not create such a close personal relationship with the organization. A young person feels a stronger connection with the idea itself that the organization is propagating and with ambitions, in the implementation of which he/she wishes to participate.

ONE-OFF MEETING WITH AN EXPERT In order to help a young person to learn more about the field of activity that interests him/her in the shortest possible time, one of the best solutions is to organize a meeting with an expert in that field, who would answer all the questions that arise, dispel prejudices and illusions, help foresee the most effective next steps, help develop the skills needed to achieve the goals, and help strengthen them by linking the future to the chosen field. This form of acquaintance with professions is ideal for senior pupils, as it provides the opportunity to organize both individual and group meetings and to help young people to get to know several fields of interest simultaneously in a short period of time without committing to longer employment and cooperation relations.

MEETINGS WITH AN EXPERT FOR MENTORING PURPOSES This form of practice, when one gets familiar with the profession and activity of his/her interest, differs from the aforementioned one-off meeting with an expert because, unlike a one-off meeting with an expert, the mentoring process requires a commitment to collaborate. The optimal mentoring period ranges from one month to one year. It includes regular meetings of the mentoring process – in the beginning of the process, when goals are set, consultations take place, in the middle of the process one thinks over achievements and challenges, and in the end of the mentoring cycle, the person himself evaluates the results achieved. In this case, unlike long-term or shortterm internships, the mentor is not related or not necessarily related to direct cooperation relations with the young person, whom he/she patronizes, in his/her workplace. A mentor can accompany a young person during his/her learning process, when he/she chooses an area of interest, but this process usually takes place in an organization unrelated to the mentor’s employment relations.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 4

Accompanying a young person to the labour market by organizing various forms of work placement

JOB SHADOWING It is such form of internship when a young person learns from direct experience – by observing the organization’s work processes that interest him. It is a form of internship that is the least binding on both the young person and the person accompanying him/her (the employee of the organization), because the employee of the organization just needs to continue to perform his/her tasks by sharing them with a young person who does the job shadowing, id est, who is next to the employee and observes everything. Due to the specificity of its process and the limitations of its functions, it does not make sense for this form of internship to last for more than one to three weeks.

KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION’S LEADER’S LIFESTYLE, GAINED DURING AN INTERNSHIP IN AN ASSISTANT POSITION A young person who is prone to leadership, idea generation and entrepreneurship may want to get a closer look at the lifestyle of the leader of an organization or of the leader of a particular project that is directly related to his/her accomplishments and work. In this case, particular attention is paid to the daily habits, work style, specifics of team management of a particular personality. Attention may also be paid to this personality’s hobbies, philosophy of life and areas of learning. The best way to do this is to become an assistant of the leader who interests you, taking over certain entrusted daily work tasks, while at the same time gaining the privilege of spending some time with the leader of the organization during his/her work, leisure, learning time. In this case, a closer personal relationship is created than during the mentoring process, the impact is also much stronger, as the young person not only takes over the knowledge, insights and skills related to the profession, but also has the possibility to get to know more closely the personal factors and habits that determined the success of the personality that interests him/her.

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT IN THE FIELD OF INTEREST If a young person is with clearly expressed leadership qualities and an idea-generating talent, it is worth giving him/ her the opportunity to create a personal project in his/her chosen field of interest. Such project can be developed during the usual short-term or long-term internship, as well as while volunteering, or in an open youth centre and/or space with the participation of a youth worker. Being next to a young person when he/she is implementing his/her personal project, assistance in gathering other young people around this idea and while implementing initiatives during the learning process will give a young person an invaluable experience in getting to know himself/herself as a leader as well as in getting to know his/her own work style and nuances of personal charisma. A project or an initiative can be both short-term, such as a multi-hour event, a public campaign, and the like, and long-term, such as development and implementation of an organization’s communication strategy, writing and implementation of a project, and the like.

INTERNSHIP IN PARTICIPATING IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ONE SPECIFIC PROJECT OF INTEREST FROM THE BEGINNING TILL THE END This form of internship can be useful for young people whose leadership qualities manifest as good executors and resources explorers. Through this form of internship, they gain the possibility to have a look at all parts of an ongoing project with clearly defined start and end time frames. This form of internship can be implemented by applying job shadowing principle. However, there will undoubtedly be significantly more benefits for both parties if such participation takes place during long-term and/or short-term internships (volunteering), when young person is involved in project processes and actively participates in them as a team member.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 5

Being next to young people when they receive their first income

CHAPTER 5

Being next to young people when they receive their first income Author Gintarė Joteikaitė

In many cultures, the question of how much money someone makes remains taboo. Moreover, according to the rules of communication etiquette, it is considered rude to even ask about the someone’s financial situation and income, and when asked, most people avoid talking about the salary they receive because they consider this topic personal and even intimate. This is one of the reasons why the vast majority of young people find it so difficult to get acquainted with the current situation in the labour market and as a result they face financial anxiety when they find employment. Sometimes dishonest employers even tend to take advantage of less experienced and less self-confident employees by paying them significantly less than they would be entitled to, by luring them into the traps of illegal work, by paying in black money and thus leaving a person without any social guarantees and etc. At the beginning of a young person’s active financial life, when he/she is no longer financially dependent on his/her parents or guardians and becomes financially independent, the youth worker can play one of the most important roles of becoming an informal financial adviser and guide. But where to start the process of developing personal financial management? The successful preparation of a young person for his/her first independent financial experience consists of examining the aspects that are set out below, being with the young person when he/she expresses his/her personal expectations and helping to adjust them:

•

financial literacy, legal aspects – to help to perceive the state tax system, salary calculation, to understand prices;

•

awareness of the price and remuneration market – to encourage the examination of the average salary in the field of interest where the person intends to apply and to prepare all the necessary information related to financial matters before the job interview;

•

self-esteem and internal attitudes related to money – to accompany the person in his/her way of perceiving his/her personal self-esteem. Low self-esteem and limiting attitudes in terms of money and financial well-being can become a serious obstacle while taking the first steps in one’s career and shaping personal financial independence;

•

boundaries, workers’ rights and dignity – when accompanying a young person during his/her first job experience, it is important to understand his/her feedback on workloads, remuneration, relationship with the employer, while responding immediately to psychological violence, labour exploitation, inappropriate workload distribution as well as to help to set boundaries and build respectful work relations;

•

talking about the salary with the employer – to prepare for all possible cases when raising the question of salary: during the first job interview, before a paid or unpaid work placement, after an

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 5

Being next to young people when they receive their first income

internship or at the end of a probation period in the transition to a permanent job, etc.; •

personal financial management skills – to help to plan a personal budget and reflect the feelings and emotions after receiving the first income as well as to discuss their use.

Being next to a young person on his/her path of personal financial life could consist of the following stages: 1. Provision of information on the above issues, discussion, expression of fears and expectations – an open conversation and examination of the topic in all possible aspects will help to relax and no longer feel the tension while thinking about this topic. 2. Identification of financial needs and visions for financial remuneration. 3. Labour market analysis, data collection – to encourage a closer look at the labour market situation in the area of interest – job offers and salaries, depending on experience, education, etc. 4. Preparation to talk about money during a job interview, preparation for the first processes of selling goods or services – one may prepare an interview script, create an imaginary situation as well as improvise. 5. Regular reflections on the topic of financial management. 6. Completion of the accompanying process – the young person already admits that he/she feels confident and calm in managing his/her personal finances independently.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 6

Development of youth entrepreneurial skills

CHAPTER 6

Development of youth entrepreneurial skills Author Nadzeya Putsiata

This part of the methodology could be dedicated to discuss a list of competencies, which we should help to acquire a young person who wants to become an entrepreneur. However, this would be profanation as in this case not only specific skills are important, but also the whole system of knowledge, experience and abilities. Therefore in this section, we will discuss how should we help young people to improve in all areas related to business. In any case, it is first and foremost important to realize that entrepreneurship is not an inborn talent, but a set of skills to be developed. You don’t come into the world as an entrepreneur, but you become one. Thus, developing a youth entrepreneurship skills development system, it is important to build on information of how knowledge is received by the human brain.

FIRST STAGE TO HELP A YOUNG PERSON TO UNDERSTAND WHY HE WANTS TO DEVELOP ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS A human being does not learn in order just to have knowledge, although sometimes we claim so. However, in such a case, when we learn only in order to have knowledge, information gained is quickly forgotten, and new skills and habits do not get established in everyday life. Knowledge alone cannot be the main goal of learning. Our brain is a complex system which strives to conserve energy. Therefore, it performs only those technical actions and functions which are necessary. If a person does not set a clear goal for himself (for his brain), the brain, without a clear technical task, will simply not create new neuronal connections because it will not understand what this is needed for. Therefore, in order for learning to be meaningful, it is first of all important for a young person to understand why he/ she wants to acquire entrepreneurial skills. Why this may be important to him/her (learning objective): •

to earn more;

•

to make a dream come true (for example, to start one’s own business);

•

to become independent;

•

to understand which activities suit him/her and which don’t and etc

IMPORTANT! 1. The young person himself/herself must feel what motivates him/her (the goal), so that it would not be just one of fashionable choices of the society. For example, two people want to find the way how to eat

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 6

Development of youth entrepreneurial skills

properly and hope to become experts in this field. One of them woke up this morning and realized that he wants to be an advocate of a healthy lifestyle. The second person wants to take an active part in exploring this topic because he learned he has diabetes. Which one of them is likely to memorize better the new information on healthy nutrition and which one will begin to apply it actively? 2. The objective must be important and significant. That is related to another feature of the human brain – he undertakes only those tasks which he understands as the most important. This is called the dominant principle. However strange it may be, even arguments such as “I am interested” and “I like” also fall into the list of goals which are set incorrectly. 3. In order to help young people to set entrepreneurial goals correctly, it is effective to use the SMART methodology.

SECOND STAGE ANTICIPATE A SPECIFIC BUSINESS SEGMENT THAT INTERESTS A YOUNG PERSON It takes a lot of time to build any business and become an expert in your chosen field. Elon Musk may be an expert in the automotive, rocket and start-up business, but know nothing about the medical business. Nevertheless, he will always understand the basic principles of business creation. So one of the most important tasks is to help the young person understand what specific area he/she wants to master as an expert and what skills are required for this. Here are some examples: 1. A young person dreams of opening his own café. He is interested in all stages of business development, except the financial part. He is not very good at mathematics and, therefore, he thinks that it would be easier to use the services of an accounting company. This is certainly not the worst option. Although financial literacy is one of the most important skills an entrepreneur needs to have, there are also such business developers who successfully avoid this responsibility. The most important thing here is that the youth worker already has a specific query and can begin to shape the young person’s learning trajectory 2. The young person has an idea of a new mobile app. Therefore, in order to implement it, he wants to learn entrepreneurship. In this case, we will already have a completely different learning trajectory. By knowing exactly why he/she is interested in entrepreneurship, the young person will be able to see more specifically in which areas of business he/she already has sufficient knowledge in, and which areas will need to be strengthened. For example, a person who wants to open his own cafeteria and who is studying marketing will already be able to understand more clearly how to apply the acquired knowledge in practice, whereas another young person, who while still being at school understands that he/she wants to create mobile apps, will have a clear motivation to study IT.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 6

Development of youth entrepreneurial skills

THIRD STAGE CREATING AN INDIVIDUAL LEARNING TRAJECTORY TO STRENGTHEN KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS IN THE FIELD OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP The topic of strengthening entrepreneurial skills covers many parts, but the most important are the following:

THE FIRST BLOCK. BASICS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP 1. What is entrepreneurship and how do business ideas emerge? 2. Thinking design. It is applied to formulate a business idea based on people’s needs. 3. Business model and business plan. 4. Project management.

THE SECOND BLOCK. FINANCE 1. Basics of financial literacy: what does the cost of goods and services consist of, how do you calculate price, margin, taxes and finally what is the cost of working time? 2. Ability to use Excel and Google spreadsheets for calculations. 3. Ability to create and calculate a financial model that combines investment costs when creating a business, monthly expenses, draw up a monthly and annual income plan, income and expense balance. 4. Knowledge how to manage cash flows. 5. Financial management – for better understanding and knowledge of the topic. 6. At what stage of the business and how can additional funding be obtained.

THE THIRD BLOCK MARKETING 1. Basics of marketing: what do we need it for, what functions it performs in the project, what types of marketing exist. 2. Marketing research (market research and analysis). 3. Advertising and public relations. 4. Brand propagation (how to create a brand and maintain it). 5. Online marketing: SMM (social media marketing), SEO (search engine optimization) and reputation support. 6. Mobile marketing (for smart apps). 7. Marketing strategy.

THE FOURTH BLOCK LAW 1. What legal forms exist in the country and how do they operate? 2. Taxes 3. Intellectual rights and copyright 4. Contracts, agreements and other legal documents in business. The best way to learn entrepreneurship is to create a real project, i.e. after mastering some of the information, immediately put it into practice, deliver the result, get feedback, improve and develop further.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 6

Development of youth entrepreneurial skills

FOURTH STAGE BUILDING SKILLS IN PRACTICE The best way to learn for our brains is to do everything in practice, because that’s how they get feedback: “This has been done well and therefore an incentive has been received, and here it didn’t go the way it should, so you need to analyse the mistakes and next time do the task a little differently.” So practice helps to strengthen the skill. Another great practice is to repeat the same action many times. In this way, the brain forms a new pathway of strong neuronal connections and it is becoming easier and easier to perform a certain mentioned action. At this stage it is effective to take the following actions. 1. To organize excursions to companies to show how existing businesses are working. 2. A young person’s internship in a company that best reflects his/her chosen business field and profile. The first young man we have already mentioned can do an internship in a cafeteria. In addition, it would be ideal if he practised all areas of activity in that cafeteria. The second young person can do his internship in a company that develops mobile applications. 3. Job shadowing – to spend a few days in the shadow of an entrepreneur for the purpose of understanding what is he doing and how. 4. Starting your own business is the most expensive, but also the most practical way of learning.

FIFTH STAGE COMMUNICATION WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE PRACTICALLY BUILT THEIR OWN BUSINESS Another important need of the human brain to make the learning run smoothly is the possibility to learn from authoritative people and experts in their field. This way of learning from people that surround you is one of the oldest and it gave primitive people a chance to survive. Nowadays, the issue of life and death is no longer so relevant, but the principle remains the same. When we learn from people who inspire us and evoke thoughts like “wow, after all, he did it, I would also like to do the same” the brain absorbs everything faster and more efficiently, and when such a person encourages us to act, there is no limit to motivation. The following tools can be used at this stage: 1. Invite experts (of certain fields mentioned in the third stage) to give lectures: entrepreneurs, financiers, lawyers, marketing specialists. 2. Attend conferences in any field together with young people and give them the task of collecting as many business cards as possible. In the second stage, it is possible to agree on collaboration, i.e., on mentoring with one of the individuals whose contact was received. The ability to establish connections is one of the most important entrepreneurial skills. 3. Internships and excursions described in the fourth stage Most importantly, keep in mind that all the mistakes young people will make while learning entrepreneurship are the most valuable learning experiences that need to be enjoyed and accepted with gratitude. In this process, the youth worker supports the young person, helps him to reflect on everything, to improve and motivates him not to stop moving forward.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 6

Development of youth entrepreneurial skills

SPECIFICS OF WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS DURING THE CAREER COUNSELLING PROCESS In modern society, there are more and more discussions about inclusive education in order to ensure the quality learning for all those involved in the educational process, regardless of needs or psychological and physical health characteristics. Like everyone else, people with special needs experience fear of the future, mistrust and anxiety regarding tomorrow. It is also important to note, that for this group of people everything that is new causes a particularly high stress. After all, such people are often seemed to be thrown out of the social context, which is important because it is where human character, behaviour and perception are shaped. Therefore, the first thing to pay attention to when working with young people and when dealing with young people with special needs is to help them integrate into social life and to make this integration process as secure and flexible as possible. In this chapter, we present the successful experience of the Belorussian organization “IT for everyone” in the aforementioned area. This is a great example of how an organization that works with young people can integrate into its daily work programs intended for young people with special needs. “We have given the hearing impaired young people the opportunity to learn from regular teachers, and we have opened up all accesses to community communication channels so they could communicate according to their interests. All communication was done via social networks. Young people with special needs also had the opportunity to go on organized excursions to IT companies, a list of recommended events was prepared for them and visits to the above-mentioned events were organized in order to integrate them into social life. Later inclusion groups were formed. Hearing impaired young people worked with other teenagers on a joint project. In preparation for the project, all the young people communicated by using the messenger. In today’s world, it is not difficult to organize a communication system with society members with special needs, because most tasks can be performed by communicating remotely. Later, young people who were studying with us and who gained experience when participating in projects were offered to work in small teams or become freelancers. In this way, the youth employment program was successfully implemented” Alena Dzinman “IT for Everybody” The second thing that is worth paying attention to is the selective (tunneling) thinking that is typical of young people with special needs. This target group is more often than any other characterized by a pattern of stereotypical thinking formed since childhood, which results in a certain lifestyle full of established internal emotional states when one thinks in narrow categories of concepts. This presents challenges in trying to go beyond the framework of customary thinking and behaviour and in expanding the range of routine actions. The selective thinking prevents young people with special needs from seeing alternative options, as from their childhood they have been told to be able to perform only a limited number of actions. However, after explaining everything to such young people in detail, revealing them all the possibilities they have, defining their actual situation, telling them what they can achieve, what level of earnings to expect, and after they are being properly accompanied, everything will turn out differently. However, in order to avoid any illusions, the most important thing is to help young people with special needs to divide the whole path of their goals and achievements into clear stages and to define the specific results to be achieved at each stage. It is more important for this target group of young people than for any other group to see clear small steps in their actions, each of which has a clear end and a tangible reward and encouragement. “We have worked not only with young people who are deaf and hard of hearing, but also with those who have serious musculoskeletal disorders. Remote learning for this target group is a real opportunity to acquire education, a profession. The remote learning provided by our organization is carried out via skype in lessons’ format along with google virtual classroom. Lessons’ broadcasts are organized via skype, there is interactive communication, the recordings can be viewed again later. Google virtual classroom is a free platform. All you need to sign in is to have your own google account. Here, teachers place all lesson-related material and tasks that young people do and receive feedback. There are also online chats on social networks – participants can communicate with teachers and ask any questions as well as talk to each other.” Alena Dzinman “IT for Everybody” In today’s world, information and digital technologies open up an enormous amount of possibilities, and special needs cease to be an insuperable barrier to learning and career development.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 7

Use of digital tools in career guidance

CHAPTER 7

Use of digital tools in career guidance Author Brigita Ruzienė

In this chapter, we will look at the challenges that an educator faces in the age of technology from an ego perspective, we will also review the benefits of using digital tools in the career development process, especially in providing career counselling services in the framework of open work with young people. LEARNING CHANGE The use of digital tools in a variety of fields, including the educational process with young people, is creating strong change. In the past, people couldn’t even think that it would be possible to see another person’s face directly from another part of the world on a digitized screen. With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, the first technical discoveries were made, which became a powerful impetus for the scientific and technical revolution of the twentieth century, that brought humanity to particularly comfortable, attractive and at the same time fast-paced living conditions. The learning process and science have also not escaped change. In fact, they were the most affected as science developed technologies that later served people when achieving higher results in science and a successful life. For most people, teaching and learning are associated with a specific institution – the school. We know from practice that learning only at school or other educational institutions is an inaccurate definition of learning conditions. According to Finnish scholar and educator PasiSahlberg, learning is: •

active development process;

•

collaboration;

•

pursuit of the goal;

•

self-regulation;

•

related to the context and the circumstances.

Therefore, by understanding well the concepts and their content, we can assume that the learning process can take place everywhere, without concentrating on a particular space, but realizing that the process itself is shaped by purpose, self-regulation, and the pursuit of specific goals. The ways of learning are changing intensively, and people inevitably have to learn to adapt to changing conditions. Otherwise, the quality of teaching/learning weakens, it is more difficult to meet the needs of young people, to interest them, to show possible opportunities for improvement, to point them in the right direction and the like. In the current period, we often face with situations that pose challenges for educators. Lack or non-renewal of competencies makes it difficult to organize a full-fledged learning process, especially when working with young people, where the main working principle of youth workers is to respond to the needs of young people. In order to successfully manage personality growth processes, youth workers need to provide information to young people in an attractive way.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 7

Use of digital tools in career guidance

Critical self-assessment allows us to take a solid step towards improvement, but the consciousness of a person as of a structure of a moral being is strongly influenced by the ego. According to Freud, ego is a system that attempts to meet needs by interacting with objective reality. So people are tend to do what is the most enjoyable, the safest and the most acceptable for themselves, starting with simple things. Often an individual is afraid to admit to himself/herself or another person that he/she does not know or does not understand something, because this would violate his/her inner self-esteem – “I am not perfect and omniscient”. In this situation, the ego seeks to protect the person from an unpleasant situation – it is necessary for the person himself/herself to experience the feeling of pleasure to the maximum. The use of digital tools in the career development process and in working with young people is one of the innovations that allows people to create internal contradictions of consciousness related to ego and critical self-assessment. However, having assessed our willingness to do the work qualitatively, we have successful and progressive examples where various organizations and youth workers help the young person’s personality to develop.

DIGITAL TOOLS The role of digital tools in career guidance stands out as one of those that creates efficiency, promotes quality and greater possibilities to reach more young people. Career counselling equipment allows youth workers to point young people in the right direction to achieve their career goals. The European Commission’s communication states that when improving the content of teaching and learning, “there is a strong need for flexible, innovative learning approaches and delivery methods: to improve quality and relevance while expanding student numbers, to widen participation to diverse groups of learners, and to combat drop-out. One key way of achieving this, in line with the EU Digital Agenda, is to exploit the transformational benefits of ICTs and other new technologies to enrich teaching, improve learning experiences, support personalised learning, facilitate access through distance learning, and virtual mobility.” (p. 5). The use of technology for productive education encourages young people to achieve their goal. According to the opinion and research of behaviourists in the book “Psychology”, human behaviour in particular is determined by post-reaction reinforcement (reward) (p. 151). We can assume that people tend to play computer games because they are rewarded with skills: they get the opportunity to move on to the next level of the game, or receive a variety of badges, which are treated as “rewards”. Scientists call it a self-motivation when a person encourages himself to act and learn. Digital tools can play an ambiguous role depending on an individual’s needs and aspirations. However, when looking to the future, the use of digital tools in the educational process is encouraged because it is attractive, effective and successful.

HOW DO DIGITAL OPEN BADGES HELP TO DEVELOP A CAREER? Digital open badges are a tool that helps a person to assess learning and recognize learning achievements. These badges are stored on a virtual learning platform (https://www.citiesoflearning.eu/), which allows a person to return to his/her account at any time and see how many and which badges he/she has collected, depending on the city in which he/she participated in the activities. It helps a person to individually monitor and analyse the learning process, thus opening up the opportunity to look critically at oneself and pave the way for further improvement. These badges are like certificates that can only be issued at the end of a certain activity. A learning system can be developed for a young person using badges and competencies, which are identified by categorizing the descriptions of the badges. According to Belgian researchers in education and open badges, observations and assessments must be recorded and stored in digital format in order to demonstrate that learners have acquired skills. This digital evidence is needed in the later stages of life, including career pursuit. A common problem is that it is difficult for young people, who are going to job interviews or who are finding themselves in career-related situations, to identify their abilities, knowledge or skills.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 7

Use of digital tools in career guidance

Our partners in this project in their countries also use the platforms of the cities where the trainings take place, which open up a wide range of learning opportunities: Riga – https://riga.cityoflearning.eu/; Minsk – https://minsk.cityoflearning.eu/; Vilnius – https://vilnius.cityoflearning.eu/. These platforms have the integrated possibility to receive learning badges for each activity, which are always presented as proof of achievement, thus ensuring that participants can help each other to self-assess. The evidence is directly related to the methodology used in the activity and indirectly – to the award criteria that were used during the award process. In open youth centres or organizations, which provide career counselling services, we see from practice that it is important for a young person to monitor the learning process and to evaluate it. Open badges provide the following essential opportunities for a young person:

1. MOTIVATION; 2. COMPETENCES; 3. TRACKING AND VALIDATING THE IMPROVEMENT PROCESS; 4. CRITICAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It is important to discuss each of them in detail. Motivation has several motives, but here I will name two essential ones: according to A. Maslow, people are motivated to act by the desire to express themselves and grow and, according to behaviourists, people are motivated to act by curiosity. In particular, behaviour is evoked by new images and information. Competence as a concept includes experience, knowledge, attitudes and required personal qualities – it is a combination of knowledge and skills and the ability to apply them in specific circumstances, in professional activities. Competencies are special because we improve them by interacting with people in different settings, we are not losing them, but constantly improving. However, a longer and more important process is for the person himself to observe himself and to name what competencies he has. Therefore, tracking progress during the badges accumulation process allows a person to observe himself and name the competencies he possesses, has acquired or need to improve. When applying the cognitive concept in the educational process, there is a need to mention cognitive being. It is tools and context, in which it is important for learners to validate new knowledge. Critical self-assessment. A broader concept of self-assessment is provided in the dictionary of psychology: “Self-assessment is a component of self-awareness that includes a person’s knowledge of himself and the selfassessment of one’s self, one’s abilities, moral qualities, and one’s actions.” Thus, a person’s relationship with others, self-criticism, demands for oneself, attitude toward one’s own successes and failures, depend on how one values oneself. Self-assessment influences intensity of the activity and human personality development as well as it is strongly related to the level of human claims, i.e. the complexity of the goals he/she sets for himself/herself. Self-assessment acts as a mediator between personality and external world factors. A person can critically selfassess himself, when he is able to distinguish between these two factors, to distance himself and look at himself as a personality, leaving all personalities aside.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 8

The importance of critical thinking in career development

CHAPTER 8

The importance of critical thinking in career development Author Brigita Ruzienė

The conception of critical thinking In every person’s life there are endless opportunities to experience all kinds of impressions, to engage in the learning process, and to educate oneself as a moral entity. From an early age, many people strive to be happy and, most importantly, successful. Already at school one feels pressure to choose exams, to know one’s profession from adolescence, and that causes tension and stress for a young person. But often a young person does not know what and how to choose, and in such a situation he/she gets confused. He/she does not understand how to assess the circumstances and what actions to take. In the 21st century, as the flow of information accelerates, when spending a lot of time on social networks or other virtual spaces which are full of information, one encounters a significant concept – critical thinking. In fact, different definitions can be found in different literature to define this concept. When it comes to the critical thinking process, it is important to mention the essential principles. According to David Klooster: 1. In order to think critically, one needs to have a lot of information, facts, knowledge – this is the very starting point, which is especially important. The more different information a person has, the more he/she is able to select and critically evaluate it. 2. Critical thinking – independent thinking. Each person must work with themselves and develop this thinking, not to be afraid to ask themselves complex and provocative questions, thus creating an opportunity for improvement. But the most important thing is that everyone has to think independently. It is important to sift out your thoughts and understand whether they are in fact reasoned on the basis of the information available, or maybe the approach has been introduced by the people around, or based on manipulative principles, shaped by the sources of the information. Independent thinking is the first and perhaps most important feature of critical thinking. 3. Critical thinking usually starts with issues and problems that need to be addressed. Interest in the world, the desire to know and understand it is one of the main human traits. When we see or learn something new, we definitely want to puzzle it out. When we hear about an interesting place, we hurry to go there and see it with our own eyes. John Dewey, an American educational philosopher, believes that students begin to think critically when they get interested in the problem. According to Dewey, problems encourage students’ innate curiosity and critical thinking: “Only by wrestling with the conditions of the problem first hand, seeking and finding his(her) own way out, does he(she) think.” (Dewey, p. 188) 4. Critical thinking requires sound reasoning. People who think critically base their problem-solving options on solid arguments. They acknowledge that there is more than one solution to the problem and prove the logic and practicality of their decision.

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 8

The importance of critical thinking in career development

Therefore, it is important to mention the specifics of argumentation. There are four main principles: •

Assertion is the essence of argumentation, the most important idea of a thinking person.

•

The affirmation must be substantiated by certain facts.

•

Every fact is based on evidence. Statistical data, text elements, personal experience, or other things that the audience recognizes as legitimate can be evidence.

•

The reasoning of the assertion, the facts and the evidence is the last aspect. Reasoning is the most important belief or assumption that the speaker wants to introduce to the opponent, assumption that supports all the arguments.

•

For example, a person may claim that young people have the right to run away from school if they feel bad at school (affirmation) because they have the right to feel good emotionally (fact) and teachers sometimes use psychological violence during lessons (second fact). A person can provide proof – a statement in the country’s constitution about the right to be free or a politician’s or a philosopher’s statement that everyone has the right to feel positive. In addition, it can be said that sometimes running away from school can improve a student’s well-being that day. The reasoning of this argument will be a guarantee or assumption that the freedom to choose and secure one’s emotional state is an important human right

Often, when strong arguments are presented, one acknowledges that there are other, competing, arguments (counterarguments), and in that case the thinking person will acknowledge or deny such a contrary view. While acknowledging that other approaches are possible, the reasoning becomes more convincing. For example, when discussing the above-mentioned running away from school situation, one can see the other side of it: that students are not yet formed personalities, they often need to be guided and accompanied in their choices, so sometimes they create problems that do not exist. Such arguments would be reinforced by the acknowledgement that teachers also have rights which must be respected and that a compromise can often be found in a situation. In developing such arguments and with reference to the four basic principles, critically thinking individuals argue over the influence of text, traditions, and majority, and resist manipulation. Such an emphasis on arguments regarding certain actions or values in making complex decisions is the essence of most definitions of critical thinking. 5. Critical thinking is social thinking. People are social beings for whom a relationship with other people is very important, as well as the sharing of thoughts, feelings, desires or ideas. A person who thinks critically shares his/her thoughts with others and so ideas are tested and refined as well as in this way the person gets feedback. As the philosopher Hannah Arendt says, “the involvement of others is always necessary for improvement”. By arguing, discussing, and enjoying the ideas presented and refined, we engage in the process of refining and improving our position. Such a conception of critical thinking opens up a structured clarity about critical thinking, its principles and characteristics. An overview of key terms and their purpose provides knowledge about the importance of critical thinking. Young people are often curious about which information is real, correct and important. There is a desire to know the principles by which quality information can be distinguished from insignificant information. Therefore, it is important to develop an awareness of the four basic principles of reasoning in critical thinking, which basically show the likely structure of the conversation and the way ideas are presented, as well as the presentation of information when reasoning one’s opinion. And, of course, without the five essential principles that allow critical thinking to happen, it will not be possible to develop critical thinking.

NEEDS AND THEIR IDENTIFICATION It is important for youth workers who are working with and advising young people on career issues and helping them build successful lives to know the Hierarchy of Needs pyramid of American psychologist Abraham Maslow and to be able to understand the personal situation of each young person by applying it. By analysing this pyramid of human needs, we see five essential categories, of which the satisfaction of physiological

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 8

The importance of critical thinking in career development

needs is considered to be the foundation. If a person is hungry or lacks sleep, he will not care about the needs of a higher category. Such a hierarchical system has been criticized by various scholars, but A. Maslow’s pyramid remains as one of the essential tools in perceiving and recognizing the motives of human behaviour. When going deep into human needs, it is also important to become acquainted with the Frankfurt School representatives’ critical approach to the theory of base and superstructure of the philosopher and economist Karl Marx. We will therefore briefly review these two different positions. Marx claimed that people’s lives are highly dependent on economic relations. It is economic relations that shape the structure of our existing society, which can be identified as the base of everything. Marx states that material way of life and financial materiality affect social, civic, political, and personal life fundamentally. We think that we create lives based on our own consciousness, thoughts and experiences, but according to Marx’s theory of historical materialism, our choices and being are essentially determined by the economy and our relationship with it, and everything else around the economy – culture, media, politics – are the means we need for living. In other words, it is a superstructure which is based on economic relations and directly controlled by man himself. Representatives and pioneers of the Frankfurt School (critical theory) look at the theory of base and superstructure from a different perspective. Based on in-depth analyses, they claim that the superstructure shapes our economic needs and that the base is cultural life. The intensity of human needs and their satisfaction is determined by the preconditions that lie in the internal interests and in the structure of society itself. Herbert Marcuse distinguishes between our true and false needs, which we will surely see in our daily environment. False (misguided) needs are those that create pressure and because of which a social interest is imposed on a person. These can be needs that cause us great pleasure, satisfaction. These needs encourage us to love and hate, as shown in advertisements, films, to dress so as positioned on social networks, to develop a career that is portrayed on a cultural and social level. The true needs are the ones that need to be satisfied. Here we talk about vital needs such as sleep, food, clothes, housing. According to the Maslow’s pyramid, this would be the first step – physiological needs. When behaving critically, it is important to sincerely evaluate your actions as well. By asking questions and answering them yourself, you can better understand yourself and create a happy, true life. Needs are one of the main driving forces in our lives. When we feel and perceive a need, we look for ways to satisfy it, sometimes without even wondering if it is really real and if that is exactly what we need.

CRITICAL SELF-ASSESSMENT BY GENDER Gender can be biological and social. From a biological point of view, our sex is determined when we are born by the external and internal genitals, as well as by the combination of chromosomes and hormones. In the science of anatomy, people are divided into biological men, biological women, and intersex. Biological gender confirms and names our anatomy, whereas social gender determines our place in society. However, by going deeper into the anatomy, we can see and learn that various combinations of intersex are possible (e.g., female genitals and male chromosome combination, genitals of both sexes, and female chromosome combination, etc.). Social gender (in Western cultures) is usually divided into male and female, and this necessarily corresponds to biological gender. In this way, the process of constructing our gender begins as soon as we are born. This is where the importance of sex education ethics shows up, as it provides an opportunity to get to know a person not as a representative of a specific gender, but as an individual, a moral entity. Often a young person, especially during adolescence, begins to analyse themselves more closely and look for their own identity. An analysis of childhood, the current period begins, and basically anyone can find patterns of behaviour in their lives which have been inculcated since childhood. Boys were educated “boyishly “ and girls – “girlishly”. In this way, men are being

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 8

The importance of critical thinking in career development

required to behave manfully, and women are being demanded to behave femininely. Over time, this begins to become apparent also when choosing a career. We can often see that women – from teachers’ comments to advertisements in the city – are encouraged to be part of the beauty industry, while men are encouraged to involve in the business and luxury sector. Therefore, when choosing and creating a life path, it is important to consider personal needs. Is the desire to have a luxury car a true need, or has it shaped due to the influence of advertising? And what about the parents’ desire to see their daughter a model and their son a businessman? By asking questions to yourself, it is possible to analyse more in detail the critical self-assessment by gender. When paraphrasing Simone de Beauvoir’s thoughts, it can be concluded that one is not born, but rather becomes a man or a woman. This confirms the fact that people are shaped by paying attention to the concepts of masculinity and femininity, but are not really free when creating their own identity. When thinking about a career, it is appropriate to pay attention and critically assess whether our desire to choose one or another profession has not been shaped by the external environment.

For notes, ideas, observations

Part 3 GOOD PRACTICES I–X modules

MODULE I

LIFESTYLE The aim of the module is to provide young people with tools that will help them to globally review aspects of lifestyle, career path formation, choice of profession and self-realization. Participants are gradually involved in a more in-depth exploration of the following issues: career, internal resources management, financial resources generation, and maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Lifestyle and career Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Lifestyle and career To help young people understand the peculiarities of modern lifestyle and to form a vision of a career path, taking into account their personal life experiences.

2 hours.

The presentation requires a projector, writing board, paper and writing tools for participants, tables, chairs, sticky notes, adhesive tape for gluing posters in space.

Unlimited, but the most effective number – 16–20 participants. METHOD “What if?“ Participants are asked to form pairs by choosing the least familiar person. While being in pairs, they are asked a certain question: “If each of you knew that you now have unlimited financial resources for the whole life, what would you do?“

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Participants are given 3 minutes to talk about this topic, so that each of them could express his/her vision. Each participant is then asked to find another least familiar partner and a second question is asked: “If you could change one thing in the world – what would it be and why?“ Similarly, a third question is asked for new pairs: “If you could choose one superpower – what would it be, why would you want to have namely that power and how would it help you?“ At the end of the method, participants are revealed that the above questions and their initial intuitive answers to these questions are the first steps in getting to know better their own personal talents and vocations. The answer to the first question provides each participant with information about what activity can actually become the one that generates finances. The answer to the second question gives a hint about the vocation of the personality, and the answer to the third question metaphorically talks about the inner talents of the participants. Task no. 1

Practical tasks

Invite participants to draw a square of the four professions and divide it into four segments so that each segment would be dedicated to a specific profession: „artisan and craftsman“, „scholar-educator“, „organizer“, „entrepreneur“. At the beginning of the task, it is indicated that each person has traits in himself/herself that are characteristic of all four professions, but some characteristics dominate, while others are less pronounced. All four segments together make up 100 percent of personality self-expression. Participants are asked to decide and write down what percentage of themselves and their daily lives they see in each segment, i.e. what percentage of his/her personality consists of a master, a scholar-educator, an organizer, and an entrepreneur. Next to each segment, they are also asked to write down what daily actions and activities that they do mean that they act as representatives of one of aforementioned professions. Time to complete the task: 10–15 minutes.

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Lifestyle and career

Gintarė Joteikaitė

Task no. 2

Practical tasks

Invite participants to redraw a palette of senses with equal five parts and write into each of them all the senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Then ask the participants to colour the palette according to their most important senses. They have to colour the most those triangles in which they write down the sensations that dominate in their daily lives. Time to complete the task: 5 minutes. After completing both tasks, participants are invited to share their results with others.

“Perception Diagnosis“ method End of session reflection methods

Three posters with three drawings of the discussed methods („Ikigai“, „The Four Occupations“ and „A palette of five senses“) are hung in the room. Participants are given sticky notes and asked in pairs to access each poster on the topic explored in the sessions and, while sharing their insights and conclusions they came up with during the session, to stick a sticky note on each poster in the place where they see themselves at this stage of their lives. Time to complete the task: 5–15 minutes, depending on how open the participants are.

Notes to the leader

It is important to note that the duration of the tasks provided to the participants and the extent of the results of the tasks performed will depend on the age of the participants and on their work experience. Pupils will accept it more as new information that they are just beginning to rely on in making daily career decisions, whereas elder young people will tend to discuss more broadly, ask questions, and want to spend more time on tasks.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Peculiarities of building a career path in the 21st century In the beginning of the theoretical part, it is worth conveying relevant information from the introductory part of this methodology, adapting it for the benefit of young people. Methods that help to understand the peculiarities of your own lifestyle In the second part of the theoretical part, we suggest exploring three models that will help young people to consciously shape their personal lifestyle and make career choices.

JAPANESE IKIGAI “Ikigai” is a Japanese word that is not translated into any other language. Translating literally, it would mean “a reason to jump out of bed each morning” or, more simply, “a reason for being”. Interestingly, in Europe, the concept of “a reason for being” and its analysis appeared only in the 19th century, when the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard raised questions of existentialism, while in

Japan the concept of “Ikigai” was used already in 14th century. Any representative of Japanese culture, when asked what his “Ikigai” is, would answer this question, as its exploration has long been an important part of the culture of parenting. For one person “Ikigai” means to take care of the children, for another person it means to create a certain product whereas for a third one – to sing. In Japan numerous studies have been conducted on the effects of Ikigai on the health of the population and direct links have been found to show that people who discovered their Ikigai had better health indicators in every way possible and this is directly related to the amount of hormones of happiness, produced in those people’s bodies, after they chose to do what they love. The four main conditions of Ikigai that everyone is invited to pursue are: •

“What I love doing” – activities that provide pleasure and satisfaction.

•

“What the world needs” – activities that are meaningful for those around us, that are productive and provide certain benefits as well as added value.

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Lifestyle and career Gintarė Joteikaitė

each of them is constantly moving from one position in the Ikigai system to another in search of his/her lifestyle and career path. Therefore, telling about this system, an open discussion can be initiated, in which part of Ikigai each participant feels he/she is at this concrete moment and what is needed for him/her to be at the very centre.

THE FOUR OCCUPATIONS

•

“What I can get paid for” is an activity that generates finances and frees you from the necessity to look for a job that meets your needs. “What I am good at” – certain knowledge, skills and experience allow me to perform well.

It is clear that the discovery of Ikigai is not a given, but, in one way or another, it is an ongoing process which aims to implement all four aspects. There are definite names of the states that people reach when they find themselves at the intersection of two or three aspects. • •

“What I love doing” + “What the world needs” = Mission “What the world needs” + “What I can get paid for” = Vocation

•

“What I can get paid for” + “What I am good at” = Profession

•

“What I am good at” + “What I love doing” = Passion

•

“What I love doing” + “What the world needs” + “What I can get paid for” = Excitement and complacency, but sense of uncertainty due to lack of professionalism.

•

“What the world needs” + “What I can get paid for” + “What I am good at” = A sense of comfort and security, but no inner satisfaction.

•

“What I can get paid for” + “What I am good at” + “What I love doing” = A sense of satisfaction, accompanied by a feeling of uselessness.

•

“What I am good at” + “What I love doing” + “What the world needs” = Delight and fullness, but at the same time concern about financial security.

As we can observe in our daily work with young people,

Another method that helps to review your current position, just like in the “Ikigai” system, is The Four Occupations. According to it, all the activities and professions that exist in the world can be classified into four groups. The main evaluation criterion for assigning oneself to one or another group according to this method is, first of all, the feeling of pleasure a person experiences when being engaged in certain activities as well as natural inner desires, potential and talents that are related to these activities. 1. ARTISANS AND CRAFTSMEN. These are people who love to create by hand. Their main objective is tangible products and results which they can physically experience and evaluate. When you look around in the room you are currently in, you will see that all the things placed in it were created by the hands and efforts of the artisans and craftsmen. Professions of artisans and craftsmen: designers of all kinds (graphics, style, home, products), architects, athletes, artists, project managers, who create a finished product. 2. SCHOLARS-EDUCATORS. Some people may be stronger as scholars, others – as educators. The main distinguishing feature of people who engage in that kind of activities is that these people are, in one form or another, “information filters”. They enjoy the process of storing information within themselves and then passing it on to others. For people who are stronger as scholars, sharing is not that important as they enjoy the process of cognition and exploration itself and only occasionally share the

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Lifestyle and career

Gintarė Joteikaitė

results of their cognition with people around them. For educators, conversely, one of the most important parts of the information processing process is the possibility to pass it on to others. Thus, educators are able to process and systematize a large amount of information in a short time in order to purposefully adapt it to a certain target group. Professions of scholars and educators: teachers, researchers, academics, lecturers, social and youth workers, supervisors and the like. 3. ORGANIZERS. The main distinguishing feature of the organizers is their ability to gather people around ideas and effectively direct and use the potential of individuals when achieving a common goal. Organizers can be either the idea leaders themselves and the idea generators, gathering people around their own ideas, or strong executors looking for ideas they believe in and due to which they are ready to form a team. Professions of organizers: managers of all possible areas. 4. ENTREPRENEURS. These are people who, through their way of thinking, are constantly pushing the world economy and politics forward because they are interested in improving the current situation, both in terms of business and social life. People who are entrepreneurs by nature are able to process a large amount of information in a short period of time, structure it, assess all the strengths and weaknesses of the current situation they are observing, as well as formulate a future vision and strategy oriented towards creativity, development and added value.

A PALETTE OF FIVE SENSES The last method we introduce is the Palette of Senses. As every human being has five basic senses through which he/she experiences everything, it is important to consider each individual’s dominant sensations and their characteristics to ensure quality of life. Out of the five existing senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell), each person usually has one or two that are the dominant ones, while the others are weaker. This means that certain one or more senses respond significantly more actively and strongly to external stimuli than other senses. Therefore, the pleasure and joy of life experienced by each particular person is strongly determined by the uniqueness of his palette of senses. This influences the choice of certain activities and professions. SIGHT. People whose dominant sense is their sight are called visuals. For those with visual memory, it is important to see the world as it is and to convey the values created by their creative imagination. At work, they need to get acquainted with the visual material and process it. When communicating with colleagues,

they want to see them live, because this way they can evaluate not only the information provided, but also body language, facial expressions. While resting, these people also seek to see new things and to evaluate them visually. HEARING. People whose dominant sense is their hearing are called audials. In the professional field, these people are excellent negotiators, educators, social workers, psychologists who accept sensitively the audible information provided, process it effectively and give an answer. For these people visual content is not so important as they need to hear it. They also need to have the possibility to ask questions so they could clarify the information they hear. In their daily work, it is important the element of communication and information sharing. While resting, they also often unconsciously choose places and experiences where sound elements play an important role. Audials also have a penchant for music. TOUCH. People whose dominant sense is their touch are called kinesthetics. The distinguishing feature of these people is that they keep fidgeting and cannot stay for long in one place. It is important for them to feel physical comfort and keep moving. The most suitable professions for kinesthetists are sports, social work, work with human bodies, organization, arts. They are usually very empathetic, intuitive, creative, frank and easily make contact with others. The worst professional experience for kinesthetics people is to be seated at an office desk and be forced to sit at it all the time. TASTE and (or) SMELL. People whose most pronounced senses are the senses of taste or smell are far fewer than people with other dominant senses (visuals, audials, and kinesthetics). These people are pronounced gourmets: they often place high demands on the quality and environment of each process that is being performed, they care about aesthetics and cosiness, cleanliness and orderliness. The best way to understand what is meant in this case is to observe the daily behaviour, the conversations and the subtlety of the perception of the world of the world’s most famous chefs and perfumers.

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Time and energy management Alena Dzinman

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Time and energy management Introduce participants to time and internal energy resources management tools which would help them to become more effective in their daily lives.

2 hours.

The presentation requires a projector, writing board, paper and writing tools for participants, tables, chairs, sticky notes, adhesive tape for gluing posters in space.

Unlimited, but the most effective number – 16–20 participants. A method for focus of attention

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Participants are invited to pair up, to become acquainted with each other, sit down in front of each other and make eye contact. In the first part of the method, participants are asked to maintain eye contact, but at the same time to think about the tasks of concern, the existing daily worries, the things they need to do. They have one minute for that. In the second part participants are asked to focus completely on the person they are looking at and pay full attention to him/her alone. They have one minute for that as well. In the third part participants are asked to explore what is going on around them without turning their eyes away from their partner. They have one minute for that. Finally, the last fourth minute is dedicated to share experiences in couples. In the next few minutes, the whole group needs to reunite and share their experiences and emotions with everyone in the circle thus changing the focus of attention. The leader asks questions about what was the easiest to focus on and what was the hardest to focus on, thus drawing attention to the topic of the session. Task no. 1 Participants are asked to close their eyes and focus on breathing. Monitor inhalations and exhalations, air temperature, continuity and intensity of inhalations and exhalations. At the end of the task participants open their eyes and share their experiences and observations. Task completion time including discussion. Task no. 2

Practical tasks

Dalyvių prašoma užmerkti akis ir sutelkti dėmesį į kvėpavimą. Stebėti įkvėpimus ir iškvėpimus, oro temperatūrą, įkvėpimų ir iškvėpimų tęstinumą, intensyvumą. Pasibaigus užduočiai, dalyviai atmerkia akis ir dalijasi patyrimais, pastebėjimais. Time to complete the task: 3 minutes; discussion: 3 minutes. Task no. 3 Participants need to divide their sheet of paper into two parts: write a plus sign on one side of the sheet and a minus sign on the other side of the sheet. They are then asked to make two lists: on the side with the plus sign, list all the things, activities, people, topics of conversation, jobs and etc., which provide energy, and on the other side, where there is a minus sign, list all things, activities, people, topics of conversation, jobs and etc., which drain energy, cause apathy, despair, and after which one needs time to recover. Time to complete the task: 15 minutes.

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Time and energy management

Alena Dzinman

The Suitcase of Life Method End of session reflection methods

Notes to the leader

A suitcase is drawn on a large sheet of paper, leaving white space around it. Participants are given sticky notes of two different colours. On sticky notes of one colour participants are asked to write down things which, at the end of the session, they put in their „suitcase of life“, whereas on sticky notes of another colour participants are asked to write down things which they will later remove from their „suitcase of life“. Finally, everyone walks over to the poster and names these things aloud by sticking sticky notes in the appropriate place on the poster.

When applying a method for focus of attention and the breath monitoring method in the beginning of the session, guide participants through these experiences gradually, slowly, and list the above tasks by emphasizing what aspects they need to pay attention to. Observe the timbre of your voice at that time – it needs to be calm.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Before moving on to the theoretical part of the session, it is important to emphasize that in today’s world, where everyone has an infinite number of tasks and is surrounded by enormous opportunities, it is very important to be able to build the appropriate relationships. The success, efficiency and emotional health of each person depend on it.

THE EISENHOWER METHOD One of the most popular and simplest time management tools is The Eisenhower Method, according to which everyday tasks and works can be divided into four types.

1. Important and urgent (must be done immediately).

2. Unimportant, but urgent (to delegate).

This section includes all the important tasks that needed to be done a long while ago, but they kept being delayed over and over again. To prepare for the exams one day before them, to pay the fees when the last day to do so is tomorrow, to write an article that should be published already tomorrow. Each of us could easily create a list of such tasks. We all know well what it feels like to have unfinished tasks that needed to be completed yesterday and all internal and external resources need to be mobilized at the maximum to get them done as quickly as possible.

This section includes tasks that in a way take time against our will. For example, a friend calls you to share a piece of news as soon as possible, which isn’t directly related to you, but you already have three missed calls on your phone, which means it’s urgent. Or, in another case, you work quietly and are suddenly invited to a meeting to discuss topics that aren’t directly related to your work. It’s urgent, but it doesn’t matter to your immediate goals. The tasks in this section are always worth critically reviewing and assessing whether it is really necessary to complete them and, where necessary, to do them in the most efficient and resource-efficient way.

3. Important, but not urgent (plan when it will be done).

4. Not Important and Not Urgent (to do later).

The third quadrate is for those tasks that are important, but not urgent. Some of these tasks are similar to the ones that belong to the first quadrate. However, here more time resources are available. The other tasks are related to strategic planning, visions and ideas for the future, as well as self-assessment processes, for which it is also important to devote sufficient time.

It’s the most beloved part of every person’s quadrate related to what we call a waste of time – the internet, posting photos, phone conversations, sharing news with friends, watching series and etc.

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Time and energy management Alena Dzinman

And now it is worth inviting participants to honestly answer, to which quadrate they devote the most of their time? A lot of people spend most of their time procrastinating in the fourth quadrate, or cannot give up tasks imposed by other people and waste their time on completely insignificant things. So we are moving away from the quadrate of important tasks, for which there was still enough time in the past, and we get to the first quadrate, when all the tasks are urgent and we have very little time. What do we feel then? Our nervous system is under severe stress because we begin to act uneasily, devoting all of the body’s resources to urgent and important tasks. Then the nervous system needs time to recover and rest, and we gradually find ourselves in the fourth quadrate again, when we keep delaying important tasks. And so we get stuck in a vicious circle. Being in such a state, it is impossible to feel good for a long time, to be able to work and expect good work results and efficiency. Eventually, the person feels less and less energetic, the symptoms of burnout syndrome develop, the body weakens, and the person begins to perform previously pleasing tasks without any enthusiasm.

MAIN ENERGY SOURCES But where to find that source of energy that would allow you to always feel enough energy for work, rest and entertainment? All energy sources can be divided into four groups: 1. Food. We eat in order to get useful nutrients. Moreover, we feel pleasure while eating. But does all the food we eat really give us energy? It’s important to note that heavy food which takes long to digest and that one eats at the wrong moment can, on the contrary, take away even more energy and make one feel sleepy, apathetic. Therefore, in order for food to really provide energy, it is important to pay attention to the diet and to make sure you have fresh, easily digestible products. Fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains give us a lot of energy. 2. Sleep. When we sleep, our body regains strength the most quickly. We all know that it is recommended to sleep 6–8 hours a day. But do we always get the same amount of energy while sleeping? Have you ever noticed that when you go to bed at 2–3 a.m. and wake up at 12–13 p.m., the amount of energy completely differs from the amount that you get once you go to bed at normal time, i.e. at 22–23 p.m., and when you get up at 6–7 a.m.? Of course, people shape their own unique sleep regime, taking into account their needs and daily activities, but the most important thing is not to change the regime so it would respond to the basic need of our

body – to regain lost strength. Then we will have enough energy for both mental and physical activity. 3. Respiration. It’s an important source of energy which we usually don’t even think about or remember until we run out of air. For example, while chasing a bus, we clearly perceive and feel the process of breathing. Be that as it may, it is breathing that is one of the most important sources of energy, and conscious breathing provides an opportunity not only to get more oxygen, but also teaches to control emotions. Have you noticed that breathing is frequent and twitchy when one is angry, and lengthy and slowed down when one feels happy and relaxed? Each emotion has its own pattern of respiration. It is also possible to influence the emotions themselves by applying certain breathing patterns. 4. Positive mood. What is meant here is that positive emotions enrich a person with energy, enthusiasm and a willingness to do much more. It is an important source of energy. Is it possible to get a positive mood from the outside? In a sense, yes, let’s say we can observe how the amount of energy changes depending on the mood of the ongoing conversation. Scandals, rumours, conversations on depressive topics take away a huge amount of energy and therefore should be avoided.

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Time and energy management

For notes, ideas, observations

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Financial management Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Financial management To provide participants with information on personal finance management and its distribution into segments, savings, as well as to prepare for salary discussion situations in the first jobs.

2 hours.

The presentation requires a projector, writing board, paper and writing tools for participants, tables, chairs, sticky notes, adhesive tape for gluing posters in space.

Unlimited, but the most effective number – 16–20 participants.

The method: „How does this thing describe me?“

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Each participant is asked to choose one of the items he/she has with him/her during the session and to explain why he/she chose that particular item, why it is important for him/her and what it says about the participant himself/herself. When everyone introduces themselves, participants are invited to divide into groups somehow (according to the significance, value, price, purpose, etc. of the items). At the end, all the groups briefly explain according to what criteria they gathered in precisely such groups. This method leads us to the topic of money and in-kind exchanges.

Task no. 1

Practical tasks

Participants are asked to divide the sheet of paper into two parts. On one side you need to list all your activities and hobbies – both those which generate funds and those which do not. Participants have 10 minutes to complete the task. Then on the other side of the page participants are asked to write down ideas on how each of these activities could become a financial source. Next to these activities that already generate income, participants are invited to write down ideas on what should be done so that the aforementioned activities would start generating even more income. Participants have 15 minutes to complete this part of the task. Task no. 2 According to the part „Distribution of funds into segments“, participants are asked to describe their last month‘s expenses for each of the above columns. Participants have 10– 15 minutes to complete the task. At the end, participants are allowed to share their insights.

End of session reflection methods

The Gift Method At the end of the session, participants are asked to choose again one of the items they have, but this time to choose one item that they would like to give to someone in the group. Ask them to name why they chose this particular item and what they want to pass on or wish for another person when giving this particular gift.

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Financial management

Gintarė Joteikaitė

THEORETICAL INFORMATION THE STORY OF THE ORIGINS OF MONEY At the start of the session, participants should learn the history of the money. Various archaeological researches have been carried out for many years in an attempt to answer the question of what the real origin history of the money, and later of the banking system, is, which has stimulated a huge global economic mechanism. Various archaeological data show that already in paleolithic times people carried out in-kind exchanges by exchanging various necessities: food, hunted catches, weapons, household tools, and etc. Over time, as people flocked to communities and improved their living conditions, the first marketplaces appeared, in which larger-scale in-kind exchanges took place. Over time, this way to exchange has become inefficient and inconvenient. Assessing the value of various items, the first coins came into existence as an intermediate exchange link. But eventually, even they became too heavy for us to carry. This is how the first paper money and the beginnings of the banking system originated.

HOW DOES AN ACTIVITY BECOME A FINANCIAL SOURCE? As we can see from the history of money, they were never a goal and a value in themselves, but only an intermediate link to facilitate exchange. Every person, family or community gathered around a certain agricultural or other activity and, having an abundance of products that they were developing, shared it with others, thus being able to purchase other necessary things in return. But over time, successive historical events have led to speculation of the monetary system that was supposed to help, and material well-being has become an issue of constant stress and fear for most people. Nevertheless, from a historical perspective, we can see and understand that any human activity has a tendency to become a financial source. The essence of any profession we know in the world is to provide products or services targeted at other people. We all live in this world so we could show each other our fortes, talents and strengths that we can use to create one or another value and exchange it for money. So any favourite activity, pleasure, hobby has the potential to become a financial source – no matter what it is: sports, hobby, creativity of any kind, the ability to communicate, the talent to organize events for friends, and etc.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE INCOME? Active income is income that is received by directly exchanging the created products or services for money. In this case, the person directly sells his time, ideas, talents, services, and etc. Passive income is the added value created by available financial resources, real estate or a creative product (such as a written book that is constantly being reproduced and sold) when the owner does not need to invest additional human resources in the process. Assets – possessed and stored valuables that generate finances on their own (for example, leased real estate). Liabilities are available valuables that are constantly depreciating and require additional investment in maintenance (such as a car, clothing, machinery, etc.).

DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS INTO SEGMENTS In the first part, we talked about generating funds, and now we invite you to look at the issue of financial costs. The purpose of this session is not to delve into complex financial management tools, but participants are invited to consciously assess what area of life they are devoting most of their financial resources to at the moment and whether the available distribution of funds is sufficiently balanced. Later, when performing one of the suggested tasks, participants will be given the possibility to explore this issue more closely in the context of their personal lives. 1. Housing, food, health – funds that are spent on essentials and unavoidable things and services. 2. Social relationships and emotions – funds which are spent when socializing with friends, acquaintances, colleagues or when investing in hobbies and leisure in order to enrich life with vivid emotions. 3. Rest – funds that are used to regain strength and other internal resources while resting, whether it be a day trip to the countryside residence or a weeklong holiday abroad. In some cases, there may be difficulties in trying to separate leisure from expenses on social relationships and emotions, but sometimes people’s expenses on leisure can vary dramatically because some people get their energy by being active and communicating, while others, on the contrary, need to fully shrink into themselves and to relax. 4. Activity – funds that are spent as an investment

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Financial management Gintarė Joteikaitė

in existing activities. This section is important for those who are developing an individual activity or business and inevitably have to invest in inventory, advertising, and other things that in the long run create added financial benefits.

you are asked during a job interview what salary you expect from the workplace, name a certain range rather than a specific number so that the employer can have a choice. Do not say the following phrase: “I would like to receive a salary of EUR 1000”, but rather describe your expectations as follows: “I think I should get EUR 800–1200 salary.”

5. Learning – funds for raising qualifications in areas of interest. 6. Savings – when you save money that does not have a planned purpose. There can often be difficulties in trying to figure out which column is more appropriate for a particular expense. For example, a trip to a festival where dance lessons will take place can be treated as a leisure trip, or in other words, as an expense when a person recharges his/her emotional battery. On the other hand, if the skills acquired during dance lessons are motivated by visions to become a dance teacher in the future, the expenses can already be unambiguously attributed to learning or even investing activities. Thus, the purpose of this distribution is primarily to encourage the participants to consciously reflect on the cost of living of each young person.

HOW TO TALK ABOUT YOUR REMUNERATION? The last issue that is important to discuss during the session is the conversation about financial remuneration. Work experience with young people shows that the majority of young people are shy and even afraid to ask about financial remuneration during their first job interviews, and this is often used by unscrupulous employers. In fact, a significant number of people feel uncomfortable when it comes to dealing with financial issues at work. Therefore it is important to know a few of the aspects which are indicated below: •

Talking about money is perfectly normal and what is more – it is necessary. If the employer does not raise the issue of the amount of remuneration himself/ herself, it is his/her fault, and it is worth inviting him/ her to discuss this topic.

•

If you have doubts about the pay rates for any job, profession or service, it is worth exploring market prices. It would also be useful to find acquaintances who have similar or analogous job and find out about their experience. Once you gather the information you need, it is much easier to talk about it to your prospective employer. Most people are afraid to turn to their acquaintances for help because the remuneration issue is taboo for most of society.

•

In some cases, employers set specific fixed rates, which they present immediately, and then it becomes much easier to talk about remuneration. However, if

•

Already during the first meeting find out exactly what would be your gross salary and net salary, as this issue often leads to misunderstandings.

•

Find out what employee motivation programs the employer has and how to take part in them. Moreover, during the first or second meeting, clearly agree on the length of the probation period (if any) and on how the duties and remuneration will change after it ends.

•

Constantly raise your qualification, level of excellence and, accordingly, the price. It is a common practice in many companies to raise the employee’s salary once a year by at least 10 percent. However, if you feel that the remuneration is starting to mismatch the efforts that you put to work or if you are being given more tasks for the same remuneration, feel free to talk to your manager about it.

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Financial management

For notes, ideas, observations

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Areas of life Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Areas of life

To help young people to get to know various areas of life and the potential of self-realization in them, to create visions and projections of different areas of life and to consciously shape their lifestyle strategy.

2–4 hours.

The presentation requires a projector, writing board, paper and writing tools for participants as well as tables and chairs.

10–15 participants.

In the beginning, all participants introduce themselves by name and say one neutral fact about themselves, the topic of which is prompted by the leader. Let’s say “what is his/her mood today” or “a fun adventure experienced this week.” The leader then provides a list of some 8 to 12 facts (it is possible to use the ones listed below or choose other facts), and participants have to agree in teams and indicate the person they think best matches the chosen fact. In the end, the participants name which predictions were true and which were not. Examples of facts to mention: Acquaintance/ team building methods

•

indicate a participant who likes to do sports;

•

indicate a participant who likes serials;

•

indicate a participant who is/was an achiever at school;

•

indicate a participant who is a strong leader;

•

indicate a participant who wouldn’t harm a fly;

•

indicate a participant who dreams of having a motorcycle;

•

indicate a participant who travels the most;

•

indicate a participant who is the oldest/youngest, and the like.

Task “Life balance circle“ Time to complete the task: 30–45 minutes. Practical tasks

Following the instructions in the theoretical accompaniment part, participants are invited to draw their life balance circle on the sheet of paper (a pre-prepared template can also be used):

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Areas of life

Gintarė Joteikaitė

1. Participants are asked to draw a circle and divide it into eight to twelve separate parts, each of which is further divided into ten parts from the centre of the circle outwards, as demonstrated in the picture.

Practical tasks

2. Participants are then invited to name each of the triangles in the circle, assigning it a name of a particular area, and by colouring to assess the quality of that area in their lives. The greater the part of the triangle that the participant colours, the more satisfied he/she is with that particular area of life. 3. Self-reflection from each participant is further encouraged by exploring why this particular assessment was made and what actions should be taken so that the whole circle is filled with colours as much as possible. 4. Participants are invited to set a specific time limit and achievements which they intend to take for each area of life marked in their life balance circle in order to significantly improve the quality of life in those areas.

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, each participant presents his/her own life balance circle and describes the emotions, feelings, thoughts and experiences he/she experienced when performing this task.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Career, as one of the main ways of self-realization, takes up about a third of the total normal routine time in each person’s life. Therefore, it is certainly important to help the young person to make conscious decisions related to self-realization and to encourage his/her creativity in designing personal career paths. However, in this path of self-search, it is equally important to keep in mind all other spheres and areas of life that are not related to career, but in which each person manifests and realizes himself/herself as a personality in different ways. If we looked a little more lyrically and poetically at the whole of human life – as if it were one big joint learning process – we would understand that in all areas that our daily lives consist of – at leisure, in interpersonal relationships, in solving financial issues, etc. – we are confronted with a variety of situations that, in one way or another, teach, strengthen and give new powers which show up in the experiences that serve us in the future. Thus, the aim of this activity would be to help young people to see a global perspective of their entire life, by self-assessing the various parts and aspects of that perspective, and to help consciously design a vision for the whole lifestyle strategy, by taking personal responsibility for it and using creativity.

THE USUAL DISTRIBUTION OF AREAS OF LIFE In the world of Western culture, it is common to divide the whole life routine into certain essential parts: work, leisure, family, studies, sports, and the like. These parts can be named in different words and concepts, but the main idea of this distribution remains the same: each person’s daily life consists of several different activities that satisfy one or another personality needs, so it is important to consider and allocate sufficient time and resources to each of them. Here is an example of what such a division might look like in one table:

Job/ Career

Family

Housework

Rest and leisure

Sports

Studies

Personal development

Health

Finance

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Areas of life Gintarė Joteikaitė

Participants can be asked to complete this table. When completing this table, the participants have to perform three actions aimed at the present and the future: young people are invited to assess and describe their current life situation in each of the areas listed and, once they do so, they are asked to name and describe what they would like for each area in the future. The participants are then invited to consider and describe what needs to be done, what specific actions need to be taken in each area to make the described desires come true. Of course, it is important to absolutely support the young person in this process and to motivate him/her to have self-confidence and to freely create the kind of life he/she really desires.

LIFE BALANCE CIRCLE Another effective method that can help a young person to critically explore personal life in its various ways of expression is called “Life balance circle,” which invites you to evaluate different areas of your lifestyle and the quality of the emotions you experience in them:

Participants are asked to draw a circle and divide it into eight to twelve separate parts, each of which is further divided into ten parts from the centre of the circle outwards, as demonstrated in the picture. Participants are then invited to name each of the triangles in the circle, assigning it a name of a particular area, and by colouring to assess the quality of that area in their lives. The greater the part of the triangle that the participant colours, the more satisfied he/she is with that particular area of life. Selfreflection from each participant is further encouraged by exploring why this particular assessment was made and what actions should be taken so that the whole circle is filled with colours as much as possible.

SEVEN SPHERES OF LIFE ACCORDING TO EASTERN CULTURE In Eastern culture, there is a division of the spheres of whole human life based on the Hindu seven chakra system. According to the teachings of Tantric Buddhism, there are seven centres of subtle energy located in the human body and responsible for the functioning of certain organs, organ systems, and reflecting several main directions of life and their lessons. One of the most important ideas in dividing areas of life according to Eastern culture is that each person should pay attention to the equal development of all seven areas of life. This means that a person should not confine himself/herself only to a certain activity or a family, as this creates a personal imbalance and a person cannot attain the fullness of experiences in all spheres of life The division of spheres of life itself is important and useful for us in this activity, the descriptions of which are given in the table below:

MODULE: Lifestyle SUBJECT TITLE: Areas of life

Gintarė Joteikaitė

THE SPHERE OF LIFE AND THE CHAKRA RESPONSIBLE FOR IT ACCORDING TO HINDUISM MULADHARA BODY PHYSICAL HEALTH

SVADHISHTHANA BLOOD SYSTEM LYMPHATIC SYSTEM RESPIRATION

MANIPURA EMOTIONS EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION INTO THE ENVIRONMENT

ANAHATA FAMILY HOME

WAYS OF EXPRESSION IN A CERTAIN SPHERE OF LIFE

FEATURES OF A FULLY DEVELOPED SPHERE OF LIFE

This is a sphere of physical health, of a healthy body. It is about everything related to healthcare, healthy functioning of organs, disease prevention measures, as well as the formation of appearance and style.

Good health, healthy body, balanced external image which reflects internal well-being.

This sphere is responsible for healthy relationships where there is an equal interpersonal exchange of values, as well as for the overall level of human energy, as both blood circulation, the lymphatic system, and respiration are responsible for the body’s natural energy supply.

Vitality, energy, enthusiastic approach to new challenges, healthy tendency to take action. Healthy and happy interpersonal relationships.

A sphere which is responsible for the open expression of emotions in an environment, creatively discovering ways to complement one’s emotional state.

Emotional, lively personality. People with a well-developed sphere of emotional expression are strong leaders because they are able to inspiringly convey their emotional expression to those around them and thus communicate to them their ideas.

This sphere is responsible for the quality of the living surroundings, the cosiness of the home, harmonious relations with the immediate environment and family members.

Inspiring home environment, where one can feel cosy and safe. Good relationship with immediate family members.

This sphere is responsible for a person’s selfrealization, career, for what a person conveys to the environment through his/her daily actions and activities as the truth of his/her life, the main thought, and the idea he/she wants to express.

Beloved activity or activities that a person engages in and that provide daily enjoyment and income.

This sphere is responsible for the successful and enjoyable self-realization while learning.

A person, who has realized himself/herself in the field of learning, has discovered the joy of science, the study of which sincerely inspires and makes him/her want to continue learning. This learning and new acquired knowledge cultivates the personality as an expert in a certain field, able to provide more and more benefits to others.

It is an area of each person’s personal values, foundation of beliefs, faith, and personal traditions and rituals related to the traditions of that faith. It symbolizes the balance of all six spheres of life listed above.

A personality who has balanced all the areas of life listed above consistently pursues his/her goals, improves and remains faithful to his/her faith, values and traditions.

SURROUNDINGS

VISHUDDHA ACTIVITY

AJNA LEARNING

SAHASRARA BELIEF VALUES

Template for career-focussed education session

You may fill in this template to create your own unique session to meet the needs of your target group

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

You may use this sheet to describe the theoretical material you would be using during the session

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

For notes, ideas, observations

MODULE II

GOALS AND MOTIVATION The aim of the module is to provide young people with practical tools that would help to purposefully set personal goals, to pursue them consistently and motivatedly, to reflect on experiences and lessons learned, as well as deal effectively with everyday challenges and problems.

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Learning and thinking Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Learning and thinking To introduce young people with the peculiarities of thinking and learning, helping to form healthy habits that enhance the process of learning through various experiences.

2–3 hours.

Projector, flip chart, large paper sheets, writing tools. Location and tools

Number of participants

Note: information about the Kolb‘s learning circle or the Pollardo‘s learning circle can be presented picturesquely in space by placing parts of the cycle titles on the floor and telling about them by approaching each of them instead of preparing the usual presentation.

Unlimited, preferably no more than 30 participants. Participants are invited to divide into groups of 4–5 people. The training‘s leader hands out a large sheet of paper and writing tools to each group and invites them to describe and/or illustrate the answers to the following two questions:

Acquaintance/ team building methods

1. What are the conditions for successful learning? 2. Describe any learning process from beginning to end (from beginning to integration into everyday life). Time to complete the task: 15–20 min. After completing the task, each group presents their work, each participant says his/her name. Task no. 1 Time to complete the task: 20–30 minutes . Participants are invited to remember and choose any significant situation in their life and to examine it in detail by answering the following questions: 1. What was the specific experience? What specific facts, images, sounds, experiences accompanied this experience?

Practical tasks

2. How did the reflection process go? What emotions, thoughts, questions dominated at that time? 3. What specific conclusions were drawn in the course of the reflection? What made it possible to draw exactly such conclusions? 4. What decisions have been taken with respect to these conclusions? 5. What new experiences have been gained from this concrete situation? Task no. 2 Time to complete the task: 10–15 minutes. Participants are invited to remember and self-assess four different experiences which they would currently experience in four different stages: Experience, Reflection, Conceptualization, or Action Planning.

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Learning and thinking

Gintarė Joteikaitė

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, several participants or each participant (depending on the number of participants) are invited to review the course of the session and share their experiences following the steps of the Kolb’s learning circle, i.e., they are invited to answer the following questions: 1. Tell us, what experience did you have during the session? 2. How did you feel about it, what thoughts did you come up with? 3. What conclusions did you draw? 4. What actions will you take after the session?

THEORETICAL INFORMATION For many years now, many scientists around the world have been exploring from a variety of perspectives the mechanisms of human learning and cognition, that affect both human survival and the process of continuous improvement of all humankind. Ivan Pavlov was one of the most famous scientists in the twentieth century who brought to light the results of research that opened up the planes of human unconscious learning. Pavlov discovered a link between the dog participating in the experiment, the food supplied to him, and the sound of the bell ringing shortly before presenting food. Eventually, the dog subconsciously linked the sound to the food supply and began to react (the dog began to salivate) even without seeing the food itself. This phenomenon was called the classical conditioning. Pavlov continued his research, discovering more and more new things, such as extinction and re-emergence of the reaction, which showed that once an interface was discovered, it may be temporarily faded, but never permanently forgotten, and can re-emerge with proper stimulus. He also discovered phenomena such as stimulus generalization and stimulus discrimination – the ability of a person to respond appropriately to similar stimuli and to differentiate those that have greater differences. This ability, while seeming simple, is one of the most important for species to survive.

actions to inform them what to do”. One of the saddest discoveries in his experiments was that a man by observing learns both positive behaviour and negative behaviour, e.g., violence, hatred or other destructive lifestyle. By observing one also learns and takes over various stereotypes, such as gender, race, and social class stereotypes. In this way, according to Bandura, social modelling takes place, from which it is difficult enough to escape, understanding what is really right and what is destructive.

KOLB’S LEARNING CIRCLE In 1980, David Kolb founded an organization “Experience Based Learning System”, with the goal of researching and developing effective practical solutions in the field of experiential learning. His theory of the four basic stages or phases of human learning is also well known as the Kolb’s learning circle method. This method develops the skill of effective learning and the integration of different life experiences and is designed for the consistent formation of intellectual actions.

B.F. Skinner explored the roles of positive and negative reinforcements in the learning process and discovered that positive reinforcement always encourages action that is learned over time, whereas negative reinforcement encourages all measures to be taken to end the discomfort immediately. Albert Bandura explored the possibilities of human observational learning, and stated: “Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Learning and thinking Gintarė Joteikaitė

The whole cycle of this model is divided into four main stages: FIRST STAGE. Concrete experience that is being experienced as it is so far without more intensive evaluations. At this stage, the most important is the subjective experience of a particular individual: the emotions and feelings he/she experiences, as well as all the sensations that this experience encompasses: images, sounds, tastes, smells, touch. SECOND STAGE. Reflective Observation of the New Experience.

larger or smaller tangible change. At the action level, new patterns of behaviour and structures are being introduced, and this brings us back to the first stage of the Kolb’s learning circle – a concrete experience. In this way, a continuous learning process takes place. Kolb’s new research publication, “The Nine Learning Styles of the KLSI 4.0” (Kolb & Kolb 2013), presents nine types of personal learning that are more empathetic and focused in certain quarters of the learning circle. 1. INITIATORS.

At this stage, the individual has already deviated from the experience he had and looks at its plot, as if watching a film in which he himself is the main (or, perhaps, not necessarily the main) character. No concrete conclusions have yet been drawn at this stage, and a wide range of feelings and experiences, both positive and negative, may dominate. At this stage, attempts are made to discover connections between different elements of experience, actors, to relate them with existing experiences, and many other processes of reflection take place. THIRD STAGE. Abstract Conceptualization, during which all the information collected in the second stage begins to be structured into more concrete forms and figures. At this stage, conclusions and assumptions emerge that allow all the experiences to be summarized and compressed to one or more specific verbal and emotional structures. This allows the mind to calm down and select what information is of paramount importance and significant, and what can be “pushed” to further layers of long-term memory. This is the stage when the further fate of the experience in the individual’s consciousness, subconscious and subsequent actions is fundamentally determined. Importantly, there is a high probability that some of the conclusions drawn at this stage of learning will form in subconsciousness in the form of inner beliefs which will save vital resources in the future when selecting physiological and emotional responses to analogous situations that will no longer need to be reflected and analysed. FOURTH STAGE. Active Experimentation. This is a stage when the conclusions drawn during the third stage take shape in the form of concrete actions and preparations for them. At this stage, depending on the length, intensity and meaning of the experience in the first stage, specific habits in an individual’s life may change, one or another decision for change may be made, and in some cases even character and lifestyle may change. The essential criterion of this stage is a

These are the people who prioritize action and initiatives without much interest in reflection and analysis. They enjoy a dynamic lifestyle when they have the opportunity to frequently change their place of residence and the teams they work with. They are most fond of teachers who play the role of coaches or mentors and who could help them learn quickly and effectively from personal experience. 2. EXPERIMENTERS. For this type of people, it is important to be actively and thoroughly involved in the activity and to experiment with different patterns of behaviour, and to reflect while still experiencing. Experimenters choose such learning spaces and workplaces where they have the opportunity to be actively involved in activities and communication with colleagues and like-minded people. Constructive feedback and a close, trusting relationship with the teacher are important to them. 3. GENERATORS. People of this type have a vivid imagination and a highly developed skill of reflection and self-reflection. They are able to generate a large amount of ideas at once and review experiences from different angles. They enjoy learning processes where they have the opportunity to

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Learning and thinking

Gintarė Joteikaitė

look for solutions and innovative approaches. They are most fond of teachers who play the role of facilitators and are sensitive as well as creative.

choose learning in which they can apply all possible methods and styles. They are wise and intelligent.

LEARNING CIRCLE BY ANDREW POLLARD

4. REFLECTORS. They choose a thorough reflection and like a detailed analysis of a subject or experience. When working and learning, it is important for them to have the opportunity to have a constructive discussion and exchange information with colleagues. They enjoy reading books and respect teachers who provide the opportunity to learn and complete tasks individually and are open to questioning and thorough discussion of ideas.

Another model of effective learning that is worth mentioning is Andrew Pollardo’s model of reflective learning, which he and his colleagues described in the book “Reflective teaching in schools”. His method, like Kolb’s, speaks of learning process of continuous spiral cycles, which, when properly navigated, can help to obtain ever-increasing efficiency and quality of experience.

5. ANALYSTS.

The learning cycle, according to Pollardo, is divided into seven stages. You can deliberately find yourself in different situations at any stage of this experience, which can become the beginning of learning.

It is important for this type of people to draw specific conclusions and concepts, which they seek to form both independently and by integrating the ideas and concepts developed by the authorities (scientists, authors). They prefer to work and study alone rather than in a team. They respect teachers with whom they can discuss in detail on a variety of topics. 6. THINKERS. This type of people travel constantly in their minds from reflections on abstract observations to concretized concepts, from which they form structured solutions. They prefer a clearly structured learning and work environment in which they have a good understanding of roles and time frames. They more often choose to work alone because they have a strong need to devote enough time to reflection and drawing conclusions. They prioritize teacher’s expertise. 7. DECISION MAKERS. It is vital for people of this type to have space and opportunity to transform existing concepts into concrete action decisions and changes. They like to experiment and therefore they gladly choose learning by doing, experiments, laboratories, project activities. They respect teachers who have clear values, goals, and a teaching structure. 8. ACTIVISTS. People of this type learn quickly by observing and adopting specific patterns of actions and thought concepts. They are able to do several jobs at once and gladly choose to experiment. They learn best by working in a team and engaging in active discussions. They choose teachers with as much real-world experience as possible. 9. BALANCERS. People of this type are the most flexible and able to adapt to a wide range of learning and life circumstances, by experiencing spiral learning cycles at a fast pace. They

•

DATA COLLECTION. Before starting any activity, all possible data related to the subject matter is collected. The more sources of information, the better.

•

DATA EXAMINATION. Data are analysed and examined without preconceptions and accepted as they are, by systematizing and compressing into common concepts.

•

DATA EVALUATION. The data are evaluated and specific conclusions are drawn that can be both objective and subjective.

•

REFLECTION. All available information and experience is reflected, abstract ideas and visions are generated.

•

PLANNING. A specific, structured action plan is being developed.

•

PREPARATION. A plan shall be drawn up for the specific resources needed to implement the action plan.

•

ACTION. It is a concrete experience that crowns the whole circle of learning, where the results of all six previous steps are integrated into the real experience.

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Problem solving and change management Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Problem solving and change management

To help a young person develop the skills needed to properly process information about emerging daily challenges in their personal lives and careers and to address emerging issues effectively.

3–4 hours.

Sheets of paper of various sizes, writing tools, projectors, flip charts, small candles, several matchboxes, pins, several tables into which the pins can be easily inserted.

10–25 participants.

Nine dots exercise Participants are grouped in pairs, they are given one writing tool and a sheet of paper on which nine dots are drawn. Participants are asked to both take the pen at the same time (it must be held by both participants) and to connect up all the dots without talking and lifting the pen from the paper.

Acquaintance/ team building methods

At the end of the exercise, the pairs introduce themselves, everyone says their name and shares how the process went. Each pair counts how many straight lines they needed to connect up all the dots. The most common answer is likely to be 6 straight lines, but some may be able to connect up all the dots with 5 straight lines as well. In the second part of the exercise, each participant is asked to draw nine dots individually and connect them up in four straight lines without lifting their pens. Most of the participants will try to complete this task without trespassing the boundaries of the dots. The training‘s leader then demonstrates a possible variant in which the connected straight lines are at the boundary of the dots. Participants are invited to discuss how, in their opinion, this exercise relates to the topic of problem solving.

Task no. 1 “Candle Challenge“ Time to complete the task: 20 minutes, time for reflection – 15 minutes. Practical tasks

Participants are divided into groups of 4–5 participants and they are provided with the following tools: a small candle, a matchbox, pins and a table to which the pins can be easily attached. Participants are asked to find a way to attach the candle to the table so that it remains stable. Participants are grouped in such a way that they cannot talk to each other and see what one group or another is doing.

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Problem solving and change management

Gintarė Joteikaitė

The result that should be attained looks as described below: At the end of the task, participants sit in a circle and are invited to discuss how have they managed to perform the task, what challenges have arisen and how the task is related to the problem-solving topic. Task no. 2 The Toyota Method “Ask ‘why’ 5 times about every matter” Time to complete the task: 20 minutes, time for reflection – 10 minutes.

Practical tasks

Each participant is asked to choose one problem of their life and examine it according to the Toyota method “Ask ‘why’ 5 times about every matter” in search of the root of the problem. After completing the task, participants who are willing to do so are invited to share their results, observations, perceptions. Task no. 3 “Problem tree” Time to complete the task: 20 minutes, time for reflection and group presentations – 20– 30 minutes Participants are divided into groups of 4–5 people, each group is given a large sheet of paper and writing tools, participants are invited to choose one problem (it can be very specific and local, or it can be global, universal) and examine it according to the problem tree model, discovering the roots and consequences of the problem. After completing the task, each group presents their work, all participants share their feedback, supplement or ask questions if necessary. A nine dots with three lines exercise

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, participants are again invited to draw nine dots and this time without retracting the writing tool to connect them all in three lines. It is emphasized that there are absolutely no boundaries and rules, participants are invited to use all their creativity when performing this task. After a few minutes, each participant is invited to demonstrate his/her discovered solution and at the same time share impressions after the session.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM FROM OUR MIND POSITION? In the twentieth century, the science of psychology began to actively study the peculiarities of humans and animals in solving problems of various scales and finding appropriate solutions. Experiments with chimpanzees have shown that this animal species is able to discover innovative ideas on how to overcome obstacles by identifying the problem and having the goal. In terms of emotional background and psychological state, problems and challenges most often become

factors that cause stress and upset one’s mood. When you come to work and can’t find the door keys, when you rush to the car and find out that it is standing on the snowdrift, or when you realize that five minutes before the speech in front of the audience, an important long presentation has not been saved… All of these situations can make you feel frustrated and hopeless. On the other hand, one can learn to look creatively at the challenges of everyday life, by accepting them as lessons and enriching experiences. So how do our minds look at problems and what measures do we instinctively take each time we encounter with a more or less stressful situation?

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Problem solving and change management Gintarė Joteikaitė

When looking at the solution to the problem schematically, the mind primarily strives to describe the problem quickly and without wasting time: the shoe cracked, you ran out of coffee, the computer stopped working, the car engine stalled in the middle of the traffic lane, etc. After identifying a problem, the mind usually does not make any creative solutions, but strives to discover an effective problem-solving strategy as quickly as possible, saving time and resources, i.e., to remember the ways in which it is common to deal with similar problems: to glue the cracked shoe with instant glue, to borrow coffee from a neighbour, to call a friend who can explain how to deal with an inoperative computer, to activate the alarm in a car when its engine stalls, and after opening the capote to try to find the reason why did the engine stall, etc. And in the next step, the mind is already beginning to form a more complex problemsolving algorithm, which combines a sequence of several different actions, that helps to solve the problem and all the factors related to it in a coherent manner. Here are some more concepts that are related to the characteristics of the human mind and personality strategies when faced with problems and their solutions: Tendency to seek confirmation – as mentioned above, when faced with a problem, a person is primarily looking for already tested solution strategies, and it is also important for him to obtain confirmation from the environment that the chosen strategy and algorithm are acceptable and correct. Insight – it is a moment of inspiration and pleasant excitement, when a person encounters a problem and does not find an approved strategy for solving it, but then discovers a creative solution and creates his own personal strategy. Fixation – an inability to look at a problem from a different angle, a limited approach to emerging challenges and emerging situations. Functional fixedness – a tendency to look at the functions of objects (for example, fork, balloon, screwdriver, box) as fixed and constant. The best exercise to change this is to choose any item, for example a light bulb, and come up with as many different features for it as possible. Mind attitude – a tendency to repeat past actions and implemented strategies. This is because, as already mentioned, when a problem arises, the mind is primarily looking for tried and tested strategies and solutions. Sustainability of beliefs – a tendency to firmly hold one’s opinion when confronted with evidence to the contrary. It is a protective reaction of the body to protect

its resources and accumulated knowledge. However, strict adherence to one’s position without giving space to the opposite position is not an effective means of communication and problem solving. Excessive self-assurance – a natural tendency of a person to overestimate his knowledge, believing that it is enough. Heuristics – a simple, practical strategy based on one’s own or others’ experiences, thus simplifying the actions of the mind.

METHODS WHICH HELP TO DEAL WITH AND SOLVE PROBLEMS THE TOYOTA METHOD “ASK ‘WHY’ 5 TIMES ABOUT EVERY MATTER.” This method was developed by Sakichi Toyoda, a Japanese businessman and inventor, and was used by Toyota in order to discover the links between the causes and consequences of problems and thus accelerate the evolution of the company and improve the production methodology. Whenever a problem used to arise, employees of various levels were invited to explore it by asking the question ‘Why?’. Why did this problem occur? The employees then firstly used to answer that question. After receiving the answer, the question ‘Why?’ was asked for the second time. The employees also answered the second question ‘Why?’ and then the same question was raised for the third time for the second answer. In this way, the question ‘Why?’ was raised five times for a new answer or until employees were able to find out the root of the problem. Today, this method is widely used as a tool for coaching and personal development that anyone can apply, thus helping themselves to solve problems at different levels. The following is an example of how it can be applied when solving personal problems. I can’t find a job. Why? I don’t devote sufficient time to its search. Why? I am not certain if I am properly prepared for that. Why? I don’t think that my resume and cover letter are appropriate to apply for the job I want. Why? I don’t have enough skills to prepare them properly.

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Problem solving and change management

Gintarė Joteikaitė

Why? I didn’t show enough interest in that and I didn’t learn how to do it. As we can see, after applying the method “Ask ‘why’ 5 times about every matter”, it turned out that the real reason for not being able to find a job is that the person was not interested enough, did not consult enough or did not search for information on how to prepare a good CV and cover letter, and this led to internal resistance to the job search. This way it becomes much clearer where to start when tackling the aforementioned problem. The example provided is not very detailed and the answers are pretty short, but once applying this method to larger and more painful problems, each answer to the question ‘Why?’ can be long, detailed, and affecting different aspects of the problem.

PROBLEM TREE A problem tree is another pretty quick method which is used to help discover the roots and consequences of a problem. When applying this method, one can depict a tree, which clearly consists of three parts which are equally distributed in the plane of the sheet: roots that symbolize the causes of the problem, a tree trunk that symbolizes the naming of the problem itself, and leaves that symbolize the consequences of the problem and visible, tangible results as well as new emerging problems. Below there is an example of a completed problem tree:

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Goal and vector

Gintarė Joteikaitė, Aleksandrs Morozovs

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Goal and vector To introduce participants with effective strategies for achieving goals and setting life directions.

2–3 hours.

Flip chart, projector, writing tools, paper sheets.

Unlimited, preferably no more than 30 participants.

Participants are divided into groups of 2–3 people. Each group is given a sheet of paper and writing tools. Participants are asked to introduce themselves and examine the following concepts (in the context of human life):

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Goal

Flow state

Vector

Going with the flow

Strategy

Rebellion

Vision

The idea of life

Mission

Career

Groups of participants are asked to clarify the definition of each concept in their own words, and to assign to each concept a certain drawn symbol, icon. Time to complete the task: around 10 minutes. After that, the participants introduce themselves and present their vision of the concepts and the assigned icons and symbols.

Practical tasks

Task no. 1 Brian Tracy “10 Goal Method“ Time to complete the task: 20 minutes. Brian Tracy is a well-known speaker and self-development coach who has written several dozen books on the topic of personal effectiveness. One of the techniques he offers is called the “10 Goal Method” which helps you better understand your true aspirations and helps your consciousness and subconscious mind to set the right attitude to achieve the goals. Brian Tracy encourages you to start each morning by intuitively writing down the ten goals that are most important to you. Continue this ritual every day, i.e., the next morning write down the 10 goals that are most important to you again without looking at the ones you wrote down the day before. In performing this task, participants are asked to intuitively write down the ten goals of life that are the most relevant and important for them at this stage of their lives. Task no. 2 “SMART method” Time to complete the task: 15 minutes When performing this task, participants are asked to choose one of the written goals and formulate it according to the SMART method mentioned in the session, by giving a clear specificity for that goal.

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Goal and vector

Gintarė Joteikaitė, Aleksandrs Morozovs

It is recommended to take a 20–30 minute communication and coffee break between the second and third tasks. Practical tasks

Task no. 3 “GROW model” Time to complete the task: 1 hour And the last longest task is that participants are asked to choose another goal from the list and examine it based on the GROW model presented during the session, answering each question asked.

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, each participant shares what goals he/she described when performing the tasks. Every participant also tells what will be the first step he/she will take after the session.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION GOAL One of the key skills for making dreams, wishes, and desires come true, for implementing ideas or for seeking success is the ability to set goals and to pursue them purposefully. After all, when we think about it better, we realize that all the accomplishments in our lives are made up of smaller steps which bring us closer to great victories. All great ideas start from the first step, all journeys begin with the first step. It happens that because some idea or project seems too big, young people get lost and don’t know where to start. However, there are specific methods and tools which can help break down a big goal into smaller, simpler steps. In this way, large-scale projects can be implemented by taking smaller steps on a regular and consistent basis. The goal is an ideal and, most importantly, a real means, the implementation of which is pursued by a conscious or subconscious part of the subject. This is the final result to which the process is purposefully directed. It is the bringing the possibility closer to full completion and it is a conscious image of the forthcoming outcome. In order to achieve the goal, motivation is necessary and it is an integral part of the goal achievement process, which also helps to successfully complete the work started. Motivation can be both internal, when one’s personal strengths and resources are sufficient, and external, when other people, circumstances and conditions help to achieve the intended goal.

SMART method One of the best known and most widely used methods for effective pursuit of specific goals is the SMART

goal achievement criteria system. It breaks down the goal into five main criteria which make the goal clearly defined and realistic to achieve.

Specific – your goal should be clear and specific. The goal needs to be formulated to give a clear idea of what needs to be done. General phrases and concepts should be avoided, the rules of specificity should be followed.

Measurable – the goal must be clearly calculated and provide accurate quantitative indicators and criteria. How many times a day or a month will certain actions be taken? How will the quantitative result be calculated and measured?

Achievable – the goal must be attainable. The goal must be realistic for the specific person who will pursue it. It would not be worthwhile to set a goal to run a marathon straight away if a person has never run more than 5 km before.

Relevant – the goal must be appropriate to the current context and one needs to make sure he/she is provided with all the necessary tools and resources to achieve the goal. What measures will be needed to achieve the goal? How will the environment, the weather conditions, the surrounding people affect the achievement of the goal?

Timed / Time-bounded – the goal must be linked to a specific time line and a specific deadline, period. This is an extremely important condition, as without a clear time frame the goal still remains an abstract dream.

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Goal and vector

Gintarė Joteikaitė, Aleksandrs Morozovs

GROW MODEL Another method that can help pursue long-term goals (from one month to several years) is the GROW model. It is worth using when a significant long-term goal is set, which consists of a system of at least several different actions necessary to implement significant changes. The model consists of four parts covering the definition of the goal itself, the description and examination of the current situation, the search for solutions and the action plan. When following this model, one goes from one step to the next one and all four steps are described in turn. This is a time-consuming and internal resources requiring method that can take from one hour to three hours to complete, so there is no need to rush the process.

STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING THE GOALS AND LIFE VECTORS’ STRATEGIES Looking globally at goals in human life as if they are an integral part of life strategy, we can see that different people have different approaches to achieving goals and to the whole course of personal life. Some people choose “to go with the flow”, when most of their daily decisions are determined by random possibilities, ideas and circumstances, others choose a rebel strategy when the goals set must be achieved, at any cost and in all circumstances. There are also people who do not have a strict attachment to specific goals, but they clearly see and understand the global vector of their life, towards which they are moving. So what is that life vector? You probably remember from your mathematics lessons that a vector is a certain segment with a clear direction

1. GOAL

3. OPTIONS (solution options)

•

What is the current specific goal?

•

What is the importance, relevance, benefit of that goal?

What positive experiences are available and how can they be used in this situation?

•

What larger goals, benefits stand behind this goal?

What negative experiences are available and how can they be used in the future when transforming them?

•

What are the expectations for the entire period of pursuit of the goal

•

What are other people’s experiences that you can rely on and draw inspiration from?

•

What are the criteria for achieving the goal?

•

What ideas do you have for this future experience?

•

What are the frames for achieving the goal, how do you feel about it, what do you think about it?

•

What are the alternative scenarios of events?

•

What may you have to give up to achieve the goal?

•

What are the resistance forces which may impede the achievement of the goal? In which way is the current situation useful without achieving the goal?

2. REALITY (Current situation)

4. WAY (Action plan)

•

Detailed analysis and assessment of the current situation

•

What is being done and served the purpose?

Refinement of valuable ideas, key thoughts, taking into account all three previously taken steps according to the GROW model.

•

What was being tried to do and didn’t serve the purpose?

•

Action planning. What action plan would you see from your side for this experience?

•

What other people are affected by this situation?

•

What is the chronology of the development of the situation?

What are the possible obstacles implementation of the plan?

•

Who could help to overcome these obstacles?

•

Available resources and resources that can be attracted?

the

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Goal and vector

Gintarė Joteikaitė, Aleksandrs Morozovs

indicated by an arrow. When it comes to vectors in the context of life, we mean the values and the global value vision that are followed when achieving goals. The life vector differs from the goal in that the goal is specific, clearly tangible, and it can be achieved or not. A vector is an abstract and changeable picture of the future, which does not change only in its aforementioned values and ideological foundations, but the goals and strategies for implementing that foundation have the potential to change. 1. GOING WITH THE FLOW It is a life strategy where the choices of a person’s life and the events that accompany them are chaotic and have no clear direction. There are many events and adventures in the lives of such people, they are often surrounded by a large number of different people and opportunities, but the main events in their lives are conditioned by coincidences and coincidences of circumstances. Advantages: people who rely on this strategy have a lot of creative and intuitive freedom of expression, they constantly experience strong emotions, they feel free, and it is important to emphasize that the value of freedom is one of the most important to them. Disadvantages: people of this type are characterized by strong mood swings, they tend to “get stuck” in various emotional states and internal processes that do not necessarily bring positive benefits. Such people may become addicted to a variety of psychotropic substances as they are constantly looking for strong, increasingly liberating experiences. Although on the one hand they

have all the freedom they so desire, at the same time they are “imprisoned” in it, because they do not understand where they are moving. 2. REBELLION People who sympathize with this life strategy are pursuing their goals at any price. Such people find it difficult to accept events and activities that in one way or another do not meet their criteria for achieving goals or do not provide opportunities to achieve the goal more effectively. Often, people of this type make acquaintances which could be useful for achieving goals and create an environment around themselves in which people have similar goals. Advantages: it is a strategy of self-confident and assured personalities, these people have strong intrinsic motivation. Often, such personalities become strong leaders, able to inspire and lead other people. Disadvantages: people of this type find it difficult to go through failures because all the goals they set have clear and strict criteria for what their achieved result should look like. They may experience burnout syndrome, i.e., when they reach a goal or are still pursuing it, they begin to feel futility, apathy, chronic fatigue, and other destructive emotions. 3. COOPERATION WITH LIFE People who follow this strategy clearly understand the direction in which their lives are moving, so the pursuit of specific goals becomes only a means to implement a value vision. The value vector in this case is implemented by a variety of means, which in some cases may come by themselves as opportunities, or can be created and set as a personal goal. Advantages: failures are not taken very painfully, because thanks to the visible global picture and value direction, it is understood that every experience is a lesson that leads to a more successful tomorrow. Such people have the opportunity to take a creative look at the implementation of a global vision, which provides an opportunity to come up with a variety of projects, services and financial sources. In the long run, a person of this type is identified as an expert in a particular field, and this gives him/her additional opportunities. Disadvantages: in some cases, there are situations where one has to choose between personal values, your direction and other opportunities that life may offer. Thus, people who follow this strategy can often come to a crossroads of choices when their loyalty to their chosen direction is kind of tested.

Response to the circumstances

k€

or W

Work €

Living circumstances

€ Work

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Motivation Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Motivation

To introduce participants with the concept, peculiarities and importance of motivation in human life, to help strengthen skills that address the problem of absence or of lack of motivation.

2–3 hours.

Sticky notes, paper, flip chart, projector, writing tools, several computers, internet.

10–20 participants.

Participants are given a few sticky notes, on which they are asked to write their name. Each participant is then asked to approach the wall, to introduce themselves and to stick their sticky note with the name as high and as firm as possible so that it wouldn‘t fall.

Task: “The so-called schools of motivation“ Time to complete the task: 30 minutes. Discussion and presentations: 30–60 minutes.

Practical tasks

Participants are divided into groups of 5–6 people and in these groups they are invited to review the so-called different schools of motivation (that promote motivation and discipline). These so-called schools can be very diverse: well-known speakers, motivators, coaches and their projects, sports schools, projects where people are challenged and helped to achieve their goals, research and their presentations, etc. – everything related to motivation and its stimulation. Participants can discuss with each other, use computers and the Internet to search for information, etc. Participants are asked to somehow sort out all of these schools and present them to all participants. It is possible to ask the participants which measures seem the most acceptable and the most interesting. Participants are also invited to share their experiences.

End of session reflection methods

Participants are asked to take another sticky note. Each participant is asked to return again to the place where he/she affixed his/her sticky note and this time to affix the second sticky note even higher. Participants are also encouraged to share their impressions and perceptions after the session. This two-part sticky note method perfectly complements the motivation topic, showing that human possibilities are limitless when the necessary motivation is available.

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Motivation

Gintarė Joteikaitė

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Until April 1954, there was a generally accepted certitude and belief that man is physically incapable of overcoming the four-minute barrier, i.e., that man is unable to run one mile faster than in four minutes. Such an attitude existed because people tried to do it over and over again, but they never succeeded. And once, Roger Bannister broke that attitude when he ran one mile faster than in four minutes. Since then, and to this day, more than 20,000 people around the world, including schoolchildren, have repeated this victory. What has changed? When all these people used to go out on the track, they knew it had already been done. As a result, these people had the belief which was already proven in reality that this was possible. But how people looked at Roger Bannister himself when he was seeking to overcome the four-minute barrier? How did people look at his long hours of training where he wasn’t sparing himself? Of course, he was considered a madman, a rebel, a naive man trying to fight nature itself. We can imagine that Bannister had to have a really strong motivation to achieve his goal. And we can only guess what his deep sources of motivation were in following this difficult path. Motivation – is a term often used in various contexts, and not in vain. Motivation is primarily an instinctive adaptive function of the body which makes the human species, like all other species, able to survive. Thanks to motivation, people hunted and looked for food in other ways, they also looked for ways how to better build safe housing, got engaged in agriculture as they wanted to feel safer in everyday life. Due to the strong motivation of certain people, all the scientific breakthroughs have taken place and nowadays we can enjoy their fruits.

WHAT DOES THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY TELLS US ABOUT MOTIVATION? For the past two hundred years, motivation has been studied with interest in a variety of human life contexts: learning, knowledge acquisition, cognitive functions, goal achievement, etc. B. F. Skinner researched the evolution of formation and the reinforcements at various levels in the learning process. B. F. Skinner divided motivational reinforcements into positive and negative reinforcements. Among the positive reinforcements, he attributed the rewards that a human (or an animal) receives at certain stages of an action when performing commands and requested

functions, resulting in increased motivation to perform the action. He considers punishments and other painful consequences to be negative reinforcements as they induce a person or an animal to immediately stop performing actions that cause pain or discomfort. Thus, research at the time helped to understand a few things about human motivation, which we list below. •

A person learns new actions and takes on tasks much faster and with greater motivation when he receives positive reinforcement, i.e., a reward.

•

Negative reinforcements, e.g., punishments, may lead you to stop performing certain actions, but are not as effective as positive reinforcement.

•

Too frequent acts of positive reinforcement (awards) can also be harmful, as their impact is diminishing each time, but dependence on them is increasing.

•

In the case of long-term goals, delayed reinforcement is effective, i.e., knowing that a greater reward awaits in the distant future, but that greater work is needed to achieve it.

Taking into account all these facts, one essential fact becomes clear: in order to increase motivation in performing any action, it is beneficial to create an award that will be given after performing that action. It can be a nice purchase, a gala dinner, a trip, a vacation, etc., depending on the complexity, duration, importance, etc. of the task. However, you should not pamper yourself too much, because in the long run, the appreciation and pleasure of it is weakening. From the perspective of incentive theory, which explores biological needs and natural intrinsic impulses, innate human motivation can be divided into three instinctive motivational groups: hunger, sexual motivation, and motivation for achievement. Hunger-induced motivation is one of the main to provide the body with the necessary nutrients to ensure all the other functions of the body. One of the main indicators by which the brain determines the level of energy in the body and, in view of this, the need to cause a feeling of hunger is the level of glucose in the blood. When glucose levels start to drop, the brain sends signals with the help of hormones that it is time to eat. However, it is not just that that really regulates our body weight. There are even several separate centres in the brain that thoroughly and strictly monitor the condition of the whole body and body weight and regulate the feeling of hunger accordingly.

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Motivation Gintarė Joteikaitė

Sexual motivation is another vital motivational stimulus, thanks to which the human species has survived for millennia. The “mystical” attraction and love that occurs between two people is actually a astute nature selection process, when nature is looking for two partners whose genetic codes match as perfectly as possible to produce healthy offspring. Sexual motivation emerges and begins to manifest itself actively during adolescence, when sexual maturity occurs, and since then becomes an integral part of a person’s everyday life. The motivation for achievement also has its own history from ancient times, when people had to put a lot of diligent effort to survive. The communities went hunting together and enjoyed their catch, during the territorial wars, people desperately sought to protect their territory. Over time, man has learned that in order to achieve something, he has to put in the effort and do his job diligently in order to enjoy the results.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL MOTIVATION Motivation is divided into two main types, which define the directions of motivation. The first type is INTERNAL MOTIVATION. It is a type of motivation that arises from the very inner state of a person, which includes such factors as curiosity, the essence of an idea, inspiration. In the case of internal motivation, a person neither seeks any recognition nor compares himself with others, he is striving for a goal as if he was playing an interesting and engaging game. It is the healthiest and the most favourable type of motivation. The second type is EXTERNAL MOTIVATION. This is the type of motivation, when the main determining factors are exclusively external: money, punishment, fear, the desire for recognition, the desire to surpass others. This is not a favourable type of motivation, as in this case, a person devotes a lot of his/her attention to the factors of environmental observation and feedback waiting, which can significantly reduce the feeling of pleasure while performing actions. INTERNAL MOTIVATION

EXTERNAL MOTIVATION

Curiosity

Money

The complexity of the task Idea

Fear

Inspiration

Recognition, observation

CHANGES OF MOTIVATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE IN THE PROCESS OF PURSUING THE GOAL Most people, when looking for motivation and pursuing one or another goal, undoubtedly name this as one of the main factors they expect in the process – to gain a stable sense of happiness and success. We all remember those moments of euphoria that recur in certain episodes of our life. With the help of the goals pursued, people want to incorporate these moments in some way into their lives and make them stay forever. The only trouble is that states of happiness and euphoria, like any other strong emotion in our lives, require significant resources from the body and are unhealthy and harmful to health in the long run. Likewise, strong self-emotional arousal, by intensively self-motivating and constantly crossing the threshold of personal possibilities, are states that the body will make every effort to eliminate as ineffective and harmful. Therefore, a truly healthy approach to motivation and to the pursuit of goals is the development of a state of calm within oneself. The truth is that every journey in which one is achieving one goal or another or following a longterm life strategy will always be accompanied by a wide variety of emotions: there will be ups and downs. So it is worth learning to look at this whole process calmly, discovering inner peace and consistency of learning. Below there is a picture that picturesquely depicts the journey towards the goal and the emotional diversity in it. Certain aspects that are important to pay attention to are also named next to certain parts in order to avoid greater losses. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow Theory Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a professor of psychology of Hungarian origin, known worldwide as a researcher of happiness, creativity and human well-being. However, he is best known for his flow state theory, which he has been studying for several decades and which is better known in the world as flow state. In his book “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” Csikszentmihalyi introduces readers to the theory, according to which people are the happiest once they reach the state of flow. It is a state of complete peace with oneself and the environment and a kind of meditation when perfect unity with the current situation and the action which is being taken is achieved. Each new action complements an existing action as if it were a musical improvisation. The sense of time and space no longer exists, all other needs weaken. All that remains is the presence here and now and the perception of activity. Flow theory combines sharply focused attention,

MODULE: Goals and motivation SUBJECT TITLE: Motivation

Gintarė Joteikaitė

motivation, and a situation or environment. All of these things together create a symbiosis which forms an intense empathy for the action being performed, and together with it a sense of inner harmony, balance, peacefulness and satisfaction. It is also important to understand that the state of flow cannot be reached if the task being performed is too complex and new, because in that case huge energy resources are spent on understanding and processing

new information. Therefore the state of flow is always a balance between the skills of the subject and the complexity of the task. In other words, in order to maintain motivation and enjoyment in doing one job or another, it is important not to overwhelm your emotional state with complex challenges. .

Template for career-focussed education session

You may fill in this template to create your own unique session to meet the needs of your target group

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

You may use this sheet to describe the theoretical material you would be using during the session

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

For notes, ideas, observations

MODULE III

EMOTIONS AND INNER COMFORT The aim of the module is to provide young people with tools which will help strengthen their emotional health and emotional intelligence during their career planning process. Participants are gradually involved in exploring aspects of emotional intelligence, learning to know the meaning and purpose of the emotions they experience, to overcome the boundaries of the personal comfort zone in order to achieve goals.

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Emotional intelligence Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Emotional intelligence To introduce participants with the principles of operation of the square of emotional intelligence and to teach young people to apply them in everyday life.

Duration:

2-4 hours.

Location and tools

The presentation requires a projector, writing board, paper and writing tools for participants as well as tables, chairs and „Dixit“ game cards.

Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

10-20 participants.

„Dixit“ game cards are used. At the beginning of the session, participants are invited to choose a card with a picture that best reflects their emotional well-being over the past month. Each participant introduces himself/herself and says why he/she chose exactly that card. A person who is leading the session asks participants to keep these cards until the end of the session. It is suggested to form practical tasks for the corresponding theoretical part, in order to encourage participants to delve into each of the four parts of the emotional square. Participants can answer the questions in the tasks individually, by answering them in writing only for themselves, or in groups, in pairs orally (this will strengthen the connection between the participants).

Practical tasks

I UNDERSTAND

CONSCIOUSNESS

Answer the following questions for yourself: 1. Do I like the person I became? Why? 2. How do I rate my current quality of life? Why so exactly? What do I need to improve my quality of life? 3. What do I have to deal with every day? In what ways do I do this? What are the results?

OTHERS

EMPATHY

Answer the following questions for yourself: 1.

2. 3.

I CONTROL

SELF-REGULATION

Participants are invited to choose any story of their life when they have experienced strong destructive emotions, and to describe the emotional state of that situation. Tell how they dealt with their inner emotions. Are all the emotions released at this moment? Were all the emotions regulated and controlled? What positive life lesson did this situation teach them?

In what cases is it easy (good) for people around me to communicate with me? What factors determine that? How do I understand that it is easy (good) for people around me to communicate with me? In what cases is it difficult for people around me to communicate with me? What factors determine that? What decisions do I make when I realize that the people around me are having a hard time with me?

INFLUENCE Participants are invited to assess their level of leadership and influence. What determines leadership or lack of leadership expression? How do they feel about it? Are they satisfied with the current situation? If they are not satisfied, what should they do to change the situation? It is also possible to review a list of different wellknown world leaders and discuss what led to their leadership and emotional impact.

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Emotional intelligence

Gintarė Joteikaitė

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, participants are invited to look again at the chosen card (take a new one or choose more if necessary) and describe their last month‘s emotions, perceptions, assessments as accurately as possible, also based on the knowledge acquired during the session.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

Here are some characteristics of employees with welldeveloped emotional intelligence: •

they are able to set priorities and focus;

•

they do more than is required of them without expecting a reward immediately;

•

they are brave thinkers and they are not afraid to express their opinions and do that correctly;

•

they neutralize „toxic“ team members by controlling their emotions and collaborating;

•

they are reliable and responsible and they do not hide their mistakes;

•

in the event of a conflict, they are able to defend their position calmly and firmly;

•

they do not overlook the slightest imperfection and see a way out of any problem;

•

control their ambitions, are able to admit that they were wrong.

OTHERS

I UNDERSTAND

In the past, realizing oneself in the labour market was only about the relevance of the intelligence quotient (IQ), but gradually, when deciding whether to hire or promote an employee, the personality‘s emotional quotient (EQ) or emotional intelligence quotient (EIQ) begins to take leading positions. Some employers evaluate the emotional intelligence of candidates for job positions or team members more intuitively, i.e. by asking certain relevant questions related to their institution and/or teamwork, the answers to which help to better understand how the candidate would behave in one situation or another or solve various problems that arise. Other employers have developed tests that reveal more accurate information about candidates‘ emotional quotient (EQ) (emotional intelligence quotient (EIQ)).

The whole theory of emotional intelligence is based on a journey of multi-level personal consciousness by perceiving and analysing primarily one’s own emotions, and at the same time empathically perceiving the other person’s feelings and motives.

CONSCIOUSNESS

EMPATHY

I CONTROL

In today‘s constantly accelerating world, in addition to digital and professional skills, general, or so-called soft skills, are also starting to play an important role and they cover a wide range of competencies relevant to personal effectiveness. More and more people are talking openly about the concept of emotional intelligence and the importance of well-educated emotional intelligence.

SELFREGULATION

INFLUENCE

Personal development and growth in the field of strengthening emotional intelligence occurs in the below described order:

CONSCIOUSNESS •

It is an individual‘s ability to develop an awareness of and to analyse oneself, experienced emotions, feelings, actions taken, self-expression in the environment and the environment itself.

•

„First of all, I consciously analyse myself (selfreflection), I understand myself, my feelings, motives, intentions and purposes.“

SELF-REGULATION •

It is an individual‘s ability to identify, analyse, understand, clearly name the emotions experienced and the stimuli that caused them. After naming and identifying them, be able to learn from the current situation and transform destructive emotions into positive ones.

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Emotional intelligence Gintarė Joteikaitė

•

“By understanding my feelings, motives, actions‘ strategies, I consciously control the emotions that I experience, with specific tools, methods and knowledge of how to do it.“

INFLUENCE •

It is a person‘s ability to inspire and lead other people and to be an authority in the team, to influence the team‘s decisions by providing its members security and accompanying them.

•

„I master well the tools of self-awareness and selfregulation, therefore I can penetrate and analyse other people‘s behaviour patterns and influence the other person‘s emotions.“

EMPATHY •

It is a person‘s ability to express himself/herself correctly in every situation, depending on the circumstances, and to react respectfully to all situations, to communicate in accordance with the principles of respect and environmental friendliness.

•

“I master well the tools of self-awareness and selfregulation, therefore at the same time I am able to analyse and understand another person‘s feelings, motives, intentions and to correctly experience with another person his/her emotions and experiences.“

Each of the following four parts has its possible positive and negative forms of expression.

CONSCIOUSNESS

SELF-REGULATION

EMPATHY

INFLUENCE

POSITIVE EXPRESSION

NEGATIVE EXPRESSION

Self-reflection – a tendency to analyse oneself by properly completing and selfassessing each cycle of experience and learning.

Overthinking – stuck in the ongoing process of evaluation and selfassessment, constantly delving into something and analysing something.

Emotion management – conscious observation, regulation and transformation of emotions.

Self-control – a forced repression and suppression of emotions which may lead to adverse effects and psychosomatic disorders.

Emotional support – the ability to provide psychological, emotional support and to quickly orient oneself in the emotional backgrounds of ongoing situations.

Emotional donation – the tendency to excessively share your time, emotional resources, attention – all of this leads to burn-out and emotional exhaustion.

Emotional leadership – an ability to communicate effectively, empathetically understanding and getting to know each member of the team.

Manipulation – the subtle conscious or unconscious use of knowledge about another individual's personal and emotional qualities without their knowledge to achieve personal goals.

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Emotional intelligence

Gintarė Joteikaitė

In terms of strengthening the personality of the young person in each of the four main elements of the emotional square in their positive expressions and the neutralization of negative expressions, the set challenges and learning vectors can also be represented in a separate table:

CONSCIOUSNESS

SELF-REGULATION

EMPATHY

INFLUENCE

STRENGTHENING POSITIVE EXPRESSION

NEUTRALIZING NEGATIVE EXPRESSION

Strengthening the ability of self-reflection – learning to consciously analyse one’s well-being in every process of life. Developing and expanding emotional vocabulary in order to get to know your emotions better.

Neutralizing the expression of over-valuation – learning to set certain boundaries and time frames in each process of reflection and self-reflection without getting stuck in it for too long.

Emotion management – learning to accept every emerging emotion, to understand the content it conveys, and to neutralize or transform negative emotion into the positive one.

Self-control – analysing what happens at the emotional, physical, and mental levels when emotions are repressed and suppressed.

Emotional support – exploring people’s choices without judging them and without explaining their behaviour by the fact that their character does not change. Learning to repeat another person’s position without experiencing inner resistance. Strengthening critical thinking.

Emotional donation – learning to set personal boundaries when interacting with other people. Monitoring communication with people: with whom one feels an increase in the amount of energy, and with whom – fatigue, as well as control of all types of communication.

Emotional leadership – raising other people’s self-esteem by envisaging their strengths. Neutralizing team members’ weaknesses by correctly expressing feedback and supporting their personal challenges. Tension reduction by communicating and collaborating.

Manipulation – learning not to flaunt against other people. Adherence to the principles of environmental friendliness and establishment of communication which is based on the value of respect which is considered the basis.

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Emotion management Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Emotion management To introduce participants with the concept of emotions, the reasons and course of their formation and to teach them to consciously manage this process.

2 hours.

The presentation requires a projector, writing board, paper and writing tools for participants as well as tables and chairs.

10-20 participants.

Each participant is invited to introduce himself/herself and tell about a film and this film’s character who best reflects his/her personality, and to answer the question of why he/she chose this particular film and this particular character.

A creative task that encourages participants to learn to look at their lives from a global perspective. Participants are asked to see their lives as a film in which they play key roles. The following questions are asked: 1. What genre is this film and why? Practical tasks

2. Who are the antagonists (negative characters) in your life according to this film? 3. What do these antagonists teach us? What qualities do they strengthen and what do they serve us on our path to personal improvement? 4. What is the main character’s goal, mission, dream? How does he/she achieve all that? Participants are asked to describe in detail the plot of the film of their life by answering all the questions. At the end, the participants are divided into pairs and tell each other what they wrote.

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, each participant is asked to compare his/her favourite film mentioned at the beginning and his/her personal life film plot he/she described. What similarities does he/she notice and what did he/she understand about himself/herself during the session?

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Emotion management

Gintarė Joteikaitė

THEORETICAL INFORMATION In terms of emotions and their purpose, it is important to start with the fact that an emotion is first and foremost a means of communication in the human body which is meant to let us know whether we have chosen the right path and whether we feel safe enough. The first and historical function of emotions was to maintain a system of human instinctive self-protection by notifying danger and encouraging actions that strengthen a person’s level of self-sufficiency and security. As social life was expanding over time, emotions became more subtle and diverse. Emotions are becoming increasingly difficult to name and at the same time to understand what specifically they are expressing. NEGATIVE EMOTION - a reaction, a warning about a threat (innovation), a notification from the body about a deviation from the plan. These types of emotions often cause stress – a change in the state of the human body that signals ongoing changes. In this case, the body is forced to mobilize its internal resources to meet the challenges that arise. POSITIVE EMOTION - a reinforcement, a praise of the body and an encouragement to continue the action, a reward for the result. To review and understand the history of emotions’ development, it is worth exploring the table below. Let’s imagine a picture depicting an emotional cardiogram of a student who is taking an exam. He came to the exam, in his opinion, well prepared, in a good mood, fresh and after a good night’s sleep. The teacher handed out the worksheets and he is already eager to

complete the tasks (point A). Then, after opening the first sheet, the student sees that one of the first questions is from a topic that he has less understood and is less prepared for. This, of course, severely unbalances the student, he/she gets a fright, and gets frustrated (point B). After having a hard time coping with a difficult task, our character sighs heavily, his/her emotions calm down, and he/she opens the next tasks’ page. Here he/ she already sees the questions he/she knows well and gladly answers them (point C). However, after opening the last worksheet, the student sees the task for which the highest score is given and understands that when the part of the course related to this task was taught he/she was ill and therefore did not attend lectures and seminars. The student is overwhelmed with emotions of despair, outrage and anger (point D). Finally, when the student somewhat reconciles to the current situation, he/she leaves the auditorium, but he/ she continues feeling sadness all day long (point E). We can observe a certain depiction of changes in emotions, when the emotions of the created character balance between positive emotions that most likely promote maximum personal effectiveness and unpleasant emotions that are likely to promote the least personal effectiveness. Conscious observation and reflection of this process may already provide a lot of useful information that can help make one’s daily life and self-expression more effective.

A C

E B

D 99

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Emotion management Gintarė Joteikaitė

As for the emotions depicted in points B, D, and E in the above example, and when introducing young people to their characteristics, it is worth paying attention to the processes that take place when one experiences these negative, danger-reporting emotions. In this case, the following changes are taking place at the level of physical reflexes controlled by our subconscious: •

muscles tense strongly;

•

one feels lack of oxygen, thus the rhythm of breathing changes;

•

blood composition changes, stress factor hormones are pumped into it;

•

heart rate is changing.

It is important to emphasize that in this state, the following functions of the body are partially or completely “switched off”: digestive and immune systems, reproductive and cognitive functions. This happens because the body brings to the forefront one single main technical task – to listen carefully to what is going on and protect oneself to the maximum.

THREE LEVELS OF EMOTION MANAGEMENT In order to help young people to learn to manage their ineffective and unnecessary emotions, we present the following picture. LEVEL I

LEVEL II

LEVEL III

PHYSICAL STATE BALANCING

REFLECTION

GLOBAL VISION AND STRATEGY

There are three stages of effective emotion management (self-regulation) which are important to mention and which are outlined below.

LEVEL I. PHYSICAL STATE BALANCING. This is the “hottest” level emotionally, when negative emotions and stress are manifested primarily at the level of physiological changes. At this stage, there is no point in reflecting or inviting another person who is physiologically affected by emotions to speak and solve issues rationally, because, as mentioned above, the cognitive functions of the human brain are temporarily not as active as they could be. At the first level of physiological changes, there is only one goal – to balance one’s neutral physical state (or to help a loved one, colleague, or any other person to do it). This requires the use of breathing and physical exercises, cold water, sleep. Sleep in general is one of the most important factors in dealing with everyday stress, because it is during sleep when most of the hormones needed for the stable and healthy functioning of the central nervous system are produced.

100

LEVEL II. REFLECTION. At the second level, when the body is already calmed down, and even better – somewhat recovered from physical fatigue after stress, it is already possible to start reflecting, to look at it from a long-term perspective, to identify and evaluate what happened and why.

LEVEL III. GLOBAL VISION AND STRATEGY. At the third level, it is worth looking at the situation from an even more global perspective and, if possible, with a little humour, and then developing visions and strategies for the future that would help to avoid repeating the factors that caused negative experiences and emotions. It is also important to highlight that not all positive emotions are an indicator of efficiency and productivity. For example, there are many harmful habits and repetitive actions for which we can get strong encouraging positive emotions, but these can be actions that are detrimental to the health or psychological state of our body.

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Emotion management

For notes, ideas, observations

101

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Comfort zone Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Comfort zone

To introduce participants with the concept and meaning of the “comfort zone”, the importance of defining the limits of psychological comfort for the human psyche, and to provide tools to consciously accept and process psychological reactions that occur in pursuit of personal goals.

2-4 hours.

The presentation requires a projector, writing board, paper and writing tools for participants, tables, chairs, coloured adhesive tape (in order to mark the levels of comfort zones in space).

15-30 participants.

Comfort zone‘s circles are depicted on the floor in the selected way:

Acquaintance/ team building methods

The leader of the session briefly describes their meanings (says they will get more information about all that during the session) and asks to intuitively choose a zone where each participant feels he/she is at the present stage of his/her life. Is your life’s daily routine usual and safe or do phenomena take place on a daily basis that make you feel insecure and outside your comfort zone? Participants are given one minute to choose a circle that is relevant to them, and then everyone is invited to introduce himself/herself and briefly explain why they chose this particular circle and how it is reflected in their daily routine.

comfort zone

optimal performance zone danger zone

Task “Challenge Marathon“

Practical tasks

102

All participants are divided into groups of seven to ten people. Each group is provided with a to do list of five necessary tasks. The list can be compiled taking into account the specifics of the settlement in question, the specificity of the target group of young people being worked with, and the like. The following list of tasks is possible: • to organize a public campaign; • to sing a well-known song with the whole group on public transport; • to visit and cheer somehow one relative or friend of any group member; • to take a photo of ten people, an animal, a woman with a trolley, a child under ten years old, and a monument; • to shoot a one minute video in which all members of the group jump with a jump-rope.

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Comfort zone

Gintarė Joteikaitė

Practical tasks

Groups of participants are given an hour to complete all the tasks and are asked to record their performance with video cameras and cameras. The session‘s leader is waiting for the participants in the activity space. When participants complete the tasks and return, the performance of the tasks which consists of the following parts, is discussed: 1. Each group presents the results of their tasks. 2. Participants are asked to share what they did well when performing a particular task. What led to this success? 3. Participants are asked to share what was more difficult when performing a particular task. What determined these challenges? 4. When did participants feel safe enough (in their comfort zone), and what actions they took made them think that they had been acting beyond their comfort zone? 5. Which individuals were the group leaders, how was the teamwork distributed? What factors led to this particular division of responsibilities? 6. Participants are asked to tell how they felt while performing the tasks. What did they learn about themselves?

End of session reflection methods

By „checking out“ of the session, each participant is asked to remember all the activities and while walking through the zones to tell how he/she felt: in which parts of the activity he/she has found his/her comfort zone, in which parts – his/her optimal safety zone, and in which parts – the danger zone, and why.

optimal performance zone comfort zone danger zone

THEORETICAL INFORMATION It has long been thought that the brain does not change from childhood and remains static. However, scientific discoveries in recent decades have confirmed that the human brain is indeed flexible and adaptive. This ability was called neuroplasticity. How does neuroplasticity work? If we imagine that our brains are an integral energy system, we will see that there are many “electrical tracks” here that turn on every time we think, act, or feel. Some of these tracks are well developed, i.e., it is easy for the brain to send signals, and we call that habits. On some tracks, those signals move slower and harder. So every time when we expand our range of habits by thinking, feeling or acting differently than usual, new signals’ tracks are forming in our brains. The discomfort caused by this process can be well noticed when reading a new complex text, seeing an incomprehensible formula, reading a hard-to-understand scientific article, or learning a new language. Sometimes you just want to close a book or turn off your computer screen because

new information seems unknowable and annoying. We can also feel the inner discomfort of a unique shade when we try to introduce a new healthy habit to our lifestyle – to exercise or change our diet. It can often seem as if something inside us is constantly trying to get us back to an older and usual lifestyle mode. In this case, there is nothing unusual – the brain always strives to simplify its work and functions as much as possible as it is easier for it to function ordinarily. That’s why it’s so hard to stay faithful to a new, seemingly healthy habit. In order to understand better how the brain feels as we try to instil in them a new habit instead of the old one, it’s worth remembering the snow furrows that are left by the wheels of a car. When the first car is driving on a snowbound road, it is far from easy to break forward – it takes a lot of effort, sometimes the car gets stuck and one needs to find a better road. It is namely this position for which we program our brains when we try to instil in them something new. But in the long run, even more cars start driving through the

103

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Comfort zone Gintarė Joteikaitė

same furrows, and the road becomes quite comfortable to drive. This reflects the well-trodden habit tracks mentioned above. And finally a car arrives, which suddenly tries to turn to the side or to turn around completely in the middle of the road, in the middle of these already well-known furrows. It will be quite difficult to do that. It has been scientifically proven that the brain is able to remain adaptive and neuroplastic until old age. This means that throughout life we can learn, change and shape those new impulse tracks in our brains and enjoy a full life.

COMFORT ZONE Based on the above facts, in the further course we can better understand the well-known concept of “comfort zone”, which is usually associated with a set of certain routine actions, thoughts and feelings which remains unchanged and means stability and security for us. When going beyond this security and performing unusual, new actions, a person psychologically enters a whole new reality, in which he/she loses the stability and security he/she once had and is forced (or a person does so consciously and forces himself/herself) to adapt to new conditions. There are three levels of the comfort zone model, each of which reflects a certain “set of elements” of inner well-being.

comfort zone

optimal performance zone danger zone

1. Comfort zone – this level consists of usual actions, thoughts, feelings. Usual spaces that are already explored, well-known people, regime, sequence of daily actions. There is nothing unexpected and unforeseen. 2. Optimal security zone – it contains more unusual

104

elements. Such an element may be a new task at work, a new team member, a changed place of residence. Once a person finds himself/herself in this zone, he/she is already experiencing some psychological pressure and discomfort, but this does not yet cause significant stress. 3. Danger zone – a zone of high psychological stress, when a person is thrown out of his/her usual circumstances and is forced to adapt to completely new conditions without being prepared for it. These can include moving to another city or another country, unexpected job loss without a pre-arranged plan, implementation of a business idea without the necessary skills and knowledge. Of course, for each person, these zones will distribute differently depending on the specific personality’s experience, knowledge and skills available. But one thing can be said for sure – once you have experienced a certain amount of stress in the zones of optimal security or danger, this is how a person expands his/her usual comfort zone. This is because it is likely that after experiencing a certain experience for the second or third time, it ceases to be dangerous as appropriate patterns of behaviour and habits manage to form.

your comfort zone

where the magic happens

Thus, in terms of personal growth and development, there is no doubt that new opportunities, the realization of dreams, learning and the development of brain neuroplasticity are taking place precisely in zones of optimal security and danger, which one should sometimes not be afraid to enter. After all, after stress and tension subside, there comes a moment when an individual can enjoy his/her learning achievements and the new courage and experience he/ she has gained.

FEAR OR INNER RESISTANCE? It is also important to highlight that in the modern world, the challenge of overcoming the comfort zone is already becoming almost one of the most popular clichés and secrets of success, but this does not always lead to positive results. In some cases, people who are

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Comfort zone

Gintarė Joteikaitė

constantly pressured to to step out of their comfort zone and take on new challenges and activities, immerse themselves in work without sparing themselves or constantly want to change something in their lives. And, in general, it is safe to assume that nowadays getting out of the comfort zone has already become an inevitable routine. So it’s not so important to talk about getting out of the comfort zone as it is important to talk about conscious recognition when one should actually step into a danger zone.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE AND IS IT WORTH DOING IT? When working with young people, it is important to help them understand what hinders (if hinders) them from taking potential actions, seeing opportunities, goals, changes. Usually, most people experience fear of something new when they hesitate about their capabilities, knowledge and skills, but if the ultimate goal remains important, then it is worth just facing that

fear and overcoming it. However, in some cases, seeing potential opportunities can be hampered by internal resistance based on intrinsic values that prevent from taking a particular action. In this case, a person probably doesn’t need to leave the comfort zone. For example, why overcome your comfort zone by forcing yourself to make sales by persuading the people around you to buy a product if you are sincerely aware that this activity is not your favourite field and does not provide you any pleasure? Thus, when helping young people to explore and overcome their comfort zone, the main mission of the youth worker is first and foremost to help them find out whether the goals and comfort risks they are setting for themselves are really important and significant to the young person’s own personality and to real, deeper goals.

For notes, ideas, observations

105

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Basics of neuro linguistic programming Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Basics of neuro linguistic programming To introduce participants to neurolinguistic programming and provide with some of its tools to help to build more effectively a comfortable relationship with themselves as well as with the others.

2–3 hours.

The presentation requires a projector, writing board, paper and writing tools for participants as well as tables and chairs.

15-20 participants.

Participants are invited to divide into pairs in random order and get to know each other in five minutes, discovering three things in common. Once the task is completed, each group is invited to present these things. The leader asks to explain why they chose each other, what led to that choice. Acquaintance/ team building methods

At the end of the presentation, participants may be invited to stay seated next to their chosen pairs and pay attention to the theoretical information they have heard and, once heard, remember the experience they have just had and then try to relate it to their choice. Note to the leader: participants will instinctively choose as a couple either a person they know very well and with whom they have the closest connection, or someone they know little but have similar interests, or, if it is a complete stranger, they will choose a person who is the most similar to themselves externally.

Task “Active Listening“ The whole group is divided into two equal groups. Representatives of one group are asked to leave the room and wait outside whereas the other group remains in the training room. The task of the group which stays in the training room remains unchanged – each participant has to tell some important story of his/her life to the interlocutor of the other group, each of whom will come through the door individually, and has to do so as sincerely as possible.

Practical tasks

Representatives of the group who left the room are given four different tasks four times: 1. pretend to listen to the interlocutor, but think about your personal things during the conversation; 2. not listen manifestly and to ignore what the interlocutor is saying; 3. constantly interrupt the interlocutor; 4. to listen carefully to the interlocutor and show him/her respect and attention when creating a rapport, pacing and leading The leader assigns each of these four tasks to the group behind the door in turn, i.e. not all four options at once. Initially, he/she gives only the first task, asks the participants to come to the training room, invites them to find an interlocutor and complete the task, then asks the group participants to come together again and present the second task, and so on.

106

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Basics of neuro linguistic programming

Gintarė Joteikaitė

Practical tasks

Each of the four options is given five minutes of conversation between participants in the first and second groups. After completing the task, the whole group of participants is invited to a reflection, during which the representatives of both the first and second groups explore their emotions, feelings, observations, recognize the aspects mentioned in the theoretical part that they have noticed happening when performing the task.

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, it is important to highlight to the participants that one of the main conditions of NLP is its use in accordance with the principles of environmental friendliness, i.e. without harming others or using manipulation. It is important to give space and time for participants to discuss and express their opinions about what they learned during the session, what life situations they had a chance to remember when the above aspects served the purpose.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) is based on a pseudoscientific approach to interpersonal communication, personal development, and psychotherapy. NLP theory was developed in 1970– 1980, and it was based on the intersection between the sciences of psychology, linguistics and neurology, by discovering and structuring the links between the reasons and consequences of certain human psychological structures. Thus, neurolinguistic programming – effective methods selected over the last fifty years, based exclusively on classical psychology. The scientific team of researchers analysed the works of well-known scientists – Friedrich Salomon Perls, Virginia Satir, Eric Erikson and many others – and turned them into application models. According to Robert Dilts, one of the main proponents and followers of NLP, “neurolinguistic programming is theoretically rooted in neurology, psychophysiology, linguistics, cybernetics and communication theory, and at the same time it can be said to be an applied discipline.” Sociologists and anthropologists refer to NLP as an integral part of the New Age generation movement, when personal development and the revelation of inner potential become one of the main goals of life. There are many different opinions about neurolinguistic programming. Some of them are positive, based on facts about how this discipline enhances personality’s communication. Others are drastically negative, emphasizing the manipulative levers of NLP in the psychological aspects of communication. Be that as it may, one fact remains indisputable – NLP contributes to a better understanding of a number of patterns of human behaviour and of elements of more effective communicatio.

THE BASIS OF NLP – PRESUPPOSITIONS Presuppositions are a set of assumptions, as if it were a kind of philosophy, on which it is based neurolinguistic programming theory. These presuppositions are presented as suggested beliefs which everyone should rely on for maximum personal effectiveness. Below we introduce some of the assumptions: “The map is not the territory.” This presupposition points out that each person has his/her own personal map of world perception based on an individual’s experiences, upbringing, believes, and etc. So the map of another person’s perception of the world is not identical to our own territory and our own map of world perception that we rely on in life. “There is no failure, only feedback.” The main idea of this presupposition is again based on the first one, which states that “the map is not the territory”. This means that each individual’s assessment of certain situations is based on his/her personal subjective opinion. Opinion and evaluation can vary radically depending on time, circumstances, the personal experiences of the people evaluating, and etc. “Behind every behaviour there is a positive intention.” This means that, no matter how we subjectively evaluate one situation or another in which, as it may seem to us, a particular individual has acted improperly, immorally, we must understand that in performing any action, every individual has a purpose, i.e. seeks a positive result on his/her world map. Such a pattern of thinking frees us from pride over others, obliges us to look neutrally at other people’s behaviour and not to give them the power to influence our emotions.

107

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Basics of neuro linguistic programming Gintarė Joteikaitė

“The meaning of your communication is the response you get.” This presupposition means that everyone begins communicating when having certain needs. In addition to formal needs to address work or personal matters, everyone has deep internal needs that can vary, but often may as well recur: to be understood, accepted, loved, recognized, and etc. So the more we are able to respond to those real, deep, individual’s needs, the more effective communication is.

CIRCLE OF COMPETENCES By exploring how an individual learns and gets used to a new experience, NLP provides a model of the learning process: 1. Unconscious incompetence – when there is a certain skill or information that an individual does not have or know, but they do not realize that and deliberately do not think about it (for example, an individual does not have a driver’s license, but does not think about it). 2. Conscious incompetence – it is the stage of learning when an individual consciously acknowledges the existence of a missing skill (for example, an individual does not have a driving license but admits that he/she wants to learn to drive and get a license). 3. Conscious competence – when the driver already knows to drive but still feels stressed and is consciously concentrated on performing his new daily function (for example, a driver who has just obtained a driving license and is driving very carefully and cautiously). 4. Unconscious competence – this is the last stage of learning, when the new skill becomes self-evident and easy to perform as well as no longer requires more effort (for example, the driver has already had so much practice with driving, that without much tension, he/she is able to perform other actions such as talking on the phone, listening to music, etc.).

EMOTIONAL PROGRAMMING This field of NLP explores certain connections between the human experience, the physical reactions that have developed throughout the existence of mankind to one or another stimuli, which have emerged unconsciously, and the impact of all these factors on different types of communication. Here are some examples: EYEBALL When communicating, a person has the ability to involuntarily move the eyeballs of his/her eye and

108

direct his/her eyes and gaze in a certain direction. NLP provides an “eyeball expression vocabulary” which can help us understand better how the interlocutor feels and what they are thinking. In some cases, it can help to identify a lie, excitement, disorder, to get to know certain human characteristics, aptitudes, and the like. CALIBRATION It is the ability to read facial expressions of an individual and to connect the details of these expressions with his/her inner experiences and thoughts during the conversation. People are not always inclined to say how they really feel and what they think, and many are also able to control most of their facial expressions well enough without revealing their true emotions. However, facial expressions remain one of the main means of communication that have developed over many thousands of years. There are eight basic emotions which our subconscious identifies just by looking at the interlocutor: disgust, joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise. It is the primary and oldest emotional legacy of us as the human race. With the active development and enrichment of people’s social life, many different nuances of feelings and emotions emerged that may be observed in conscious and unconscious facial expressions. It is the calibration that helps us to get to know this area. RAPPORT The rapport is based on an individual’s innate unconscious tendency to “synchronize” with an individual who is close to him/her and whom he/she likes. In this way, people naturally choose the right people to communicate with based on appearance, speaking pace, manners, style, education and many other factors. The rapport creates a space of security and trust between two or more people to communicate easily and be together. The rapport is being established at several different levels: physical expressions, when individuals look, gesture, breathe and move alike; linguistic expressions when individuals speak at the same pace, repeating each other’s word combinations and sentence structures as well as meanings; emotional expressions when individuals unite and empathetically experience the same emotions, feelings, and inner experiences with respect to each other. With regard to the rapport, it is also important to emphasize that when communicating with a particular interlocutor or group of interlocutors, we always play a certain role in the interrelationship model, which is of three types: of a child, an adult or a caregiver. When choosing the role of a child, the interlocutors are seen

MODULE: Emotions and Inner Comfort SUBJECT TITLE: Basics of neuro linguistic programming

Gintarė Joteikaitė

as authorities, when choosing the role of an adult – an equivalent relationship is being built, whereas, when choosing the role of a caregiver, – an image of senior authority and expert is created for the interlocutor or group of interlocutors (this does not refer to age, as in some cases a senior authority may be a younger person). Having one or another communication goal, it is important to pay attention to what position you take in a particular situation and adjust that position depending on the goals. This is also important in moving to the next stage of pacing and leading. PACING AND LEADING It is a continuing effect of a successful rapport when, having reached the emotional level, one of the communication participants acquires the status of an ongoing communication leader and acquires the power to lead and regulate the prevailing communication atmosphere and its results. This process, like the rapport, is natural, constantly ongoing in various life situations, with emotional leaders successfully creating a rapport with other communication participants and developing emotional pacing and leading, but it can also take place by regulating it consciously. During the process of pacing and leading, one participant of the communication can convey his/her emotional state to another, thus creating space for further actions and decisions. It is during the pacing and leading process when conflicts are created and controlled, when inspiration is conveyed to implement ideas, make one or another decision, or follow a certain style, philosophy of life, and the like. ANCHORING

time before feeding the dog, so over time the dog has developed a reflex to produce saliva when hearing the bell ringing even before he had seen the food. Thus, the anchor is the connection between a stimulus and the emotional state caused by that stimulus. Anchors are visual, aural and kinaesthetic, as well as static or time planes (i.e. related to the time regime and the natural ability of the body to adapt to time when biological level is reached).

HIGH QUALITY FEEDBACK One of the main presuppositions of NLP that was mentioned earlier is the following – “There is no failure, only feedback.”. Neurolinguistic programming pays a lot of attention to and explores various forms of feedback and makes suggestions on what feedback is considered the most effective. In this case, it is strongly not recommended to provide feedback starting from harsh criticism or denial, because it usually stimulates the interlocutor’s psychological self-defence processes. Below there is a list of actions that will help to build feedback that creates an atmosphere of security and trust when communicating. 1. We create feedback for ourselves; 2. We create a rapport; 3. We ask for feedback; 4. We say three things that were good; 5. We say one thing that can be improved; 6. We say one thing that didn’t exist, but which could be included.

The anchoring process is based on Pavlov’s reflex research. These are researches during which a bell was ringed each

For notes, ideas, observations

109

Template for career-focussed education session

You may fill in this template to create your own unique session to meet the needs of your target group

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

110

You may use this sheet to describe the theoretical material you would be using during the session

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

111

For notes, ideas, observations

112

MODULE IV

JOB SEARCH METHODS AND EMPLOYMENT The aim of the module is to provide young people with basic knowledge about the most important actions to be taken when successfully entering the labour market and introducing themselves to employers.

113

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Job search methods and work practice Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Job search methods and work practice The aim of the session is to acquaint the participants with various methods of job search and to encourage them to enter the labour market boldly and confidently.

2 hours.

Writing tools, projector, sheets of paper.

10–20 participants. Participants are divided into groups of 4–5 people. Each group receives 2 sheets of paper with two written questions: 1. What forms of work practice are you familiar with?

Acquaintance/ team building methods

2. What are the job search methods you know? Participants answer these questions in groups and write down key moments. At the end of the task, all groups share what they wrote, the youth worker summarizes and writes the most important aspects on one single sheet. .

Practical tasks

Participants are invited to creatively portray all types of activities of interest to them. One can simply describe the activities or use a creative solution by sticking stickers on the poster, drawing, drawing schematic drawings, etc. Participants have 20–30 minutes to complete the task. In the second part of the task, next to each area, participants are invited to develop and describe a strategy for how they intend to apply, look for a job or internship in those areas.

114

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, each participant shares what they take out of the session and one commitment they intend to make when they return home.

Notes to the leader

Participants who express a serious intention to apply for a particular job or internship should be accompanied.

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Job search methods and work practice

Gintarė Joteikaitė

THEORETICAL INFORMATION It is important to introduce young people to two forms of gaining work experience: the search for a paid job and the search for an internship or a place of volunteering. WORK PRACTICE OR VOLUNTEERING Unpaid work practice or volunteering is relevant when a young person plans to have their first work experience, which will open up opportunities to find a paid job. In the first chapter of this methodology, we have reviewed several practice formats, and in the framework of this session, we once again identify the most important aspects that we encourage participants to become acquainted with. In this case, it is important to emphasize that in some cases internships can be both paid and unpaid, depending on the conditions and opportunities offered by the particular employer or organization, as well as the trainee’s experience. Long-term internship Long-term internships are the most common form of internship, which is recognized and applied in the framework of the formal education system and in enterprise development strategies. This is usually a 1-12 months long project of mutual commitment and benefit, where the trainee, in cooperation with the chosen organization, undertakes to develop the necessary and relevant to him/her competencies as well as work skills. Short-term internship Short-term internship has similar goals as long-term one – to get to know in more detail the peculiarities of the chosen speciality by exploring the internal and external processes that are taking place in the host organization. In this case, however, the commitments of the two or three parties mentioned above last significantly shorter, i.e., from one week to one month (in certain cases, a two or three parties’ commitment process which lasts up to three months may also be considered a short-term internship). During long-term internships, the intern is usually more involved in the various work processes in the organization and the related employment relations, whereas during short-term internships, specific limited functions and tasks are usually assigned which do not oblige (or give the possibility) the intern to gain a deeper understanding of the specifics of the organization’s activities and speciality’s work from different perspectives. Long-term volunteering Long-term volunteering is a process that lasts from three months to several years. And nowadays, a precise

definition of this type of volunteering is being actively sought in the youth field. One also seeks to establish a two-way relationship between the host organization and the volunteer’s ethical rules. The concept of volunteering in itself means that a person voluntarily provides services to a host organization, the aim of which is improving social and community life. Short-term volunteering Short-term volunteering has the same definition and goals as long-term volunteering. However, in the case of short-term volunteering, the duration of the process and the volunteer’s role in the organization are clearly defined. This is usually a process that lasts from a few days to two–three months, during which the volunteer performs the same action, for example, nurse the people, takes care of animals, supports the event’s organizational team, performs administrative tasks, and the like. One-off meeting with an expert In order to help a young person to learn more about the field of activity that interests him/her in the shortest possible time, one of the best solutions is to organize a meeting with an expert in that field, who would answer all the questions that arise, dispel prejudices and illusions, help foresee the most effective next steps, help develop the skills needed to achieve the goals, and help strengthen them by linking the future to the chosen field. Meetings with an expert for mentoring purposes This form of practice, when one gets familiar with the profession and activity of his/her interest, differs from the aforementioned one-off meeting with an expert because, unlike a one-off meeting with an expert, the mentoring process requires a commitment to collaborate. The optimal mentoring period ranges from one month to one year. It includes regular meetings of the mentoring process – in the beginning of the process, when goals are set, consultations take place, in the middle of the process one thinks over achievements and challenges, and in the end of the mentoring cycle, the person himself evaluates the results achieved. Job shadowing It is such form of internship when a young person learns from direct experience – by observing the organization’s work processes that interest him. It is a form of internship that is the least binding on both the young person and the person accompanying him/her (the employee of the organization), because the employee of

115

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Job search methods and work practice Gintarė Joteikaitė

the organization just needs to continue to perform his/ her tasks by sharing them with a young person who does the job shadowing, id est, who is next to the employee and observes everything. Due to the specificity of its process and the limitations of its functions, it does not make sense for this form of internship to last for more than one to three weeks. Internship in an assistant position A young person who is prone to leadership, idea generation and entrepreneurship may want to get a closer look at the lifestyle of the leader of an organization or of the leader of a particular project that is directly related to his/her accomplishments and work. In this case, particular attention is paid to the daily habits, work style, specifics of team management of a particular personality. Attention may also be paid to this personality’s hobbies, philosophy of life and areas of learning. The best way to do this is to become an assistant of the leader who interests you, taking over certain entrusted daily work tasks, while at the same time gaining the privilege of spending some time with the leader of the organization during his/her work, leisure, learning time. Implementation of the project If a young person is with clearly expressed leadership qualities and an idea-generating talent, it is worth giving him/her the opportunity to create a personal project in his/her chosen field of interest. Such project can be developed during the usual short-term or long-term internship, as well as while volunteering, or in an open youth centre and/or space with the participation of a youth worker. A project or an initiative can be both shortterm, such as a multi-hour event, a public campaign, and the like, and long-term, such as development and implementation of an organization’s communication strategy, writing and implementation of a project, and the like. Internship in participating in the implementation of one specific project This form of internship can be useful for young people whose leadership qualities manifest as good executors and resources explorers. Through this form of internship, they gain the possibility to have a look at all parts of an ongoing project with clearly defined start and end time frames. JOB OR INTERNSHIP SEARCH METHODS Unpaid work practice and volunteering often become a young person’s first work experience, serving as a key to further self-realization in paid work positions. It is true that often a young person feels timid when planning to

116

apply for one or another job position, so the support and encouragement of the youth worker plays a crucial role in this path. During the session, we invite participants to get acquainted with several basic ways of job search. Direct visits to institutions and organizations One of the oldest ways to search for a job is to go directly to a potential workplace with a printed CV. This is probably the fastest way to find a job in the service sector: cafes, shops, various service locations. In this case, the employer or the responsible employees of the institutions, who often do not have much time to get acquainted with the CVs sent by e-mail due to the large amount of work, have the opportunity to get to know the person applying for the job position live, which in many cases gives them the opportunity to ease the task for themselves and to accept a motivated person who has presented himself/herself physically in the office. When choosing this method of job search, the candidate should print out several dozen of his/her pre-prepared CVs and, after choosing a local area relevant to him/her, visit as many institutions as possible, by making a brief introduction, asking about a job opportunity, and leaving his/her CV. By the way, it is important to emphasize that this method of job search is not suitable for applying for job positions that are subject to a continuous selection process. Hacking into the office and asking to invite a manager to meet him/her and offer his/her candidacy can cause confusion and irritability simply because, in such workplaces, employees usually plan their work day time and activities in advance. Publication of information on social networks One of the latest ways to search for a job is to post a public announcement about it on your social media profile. Social networks are an informal space where people feel relaxed and interested in the lifestyle of people of their closer circle. By writing a sincere announcement about your job (or internship) search and by briefly presenting the experience and motivation available allows one to quickly find a job or internship with the help of acquaintances. Often, friends who read such an announcement refer the candidate to an acquaintance who is currently looking for a future colleague and, in some cases, directly offer a job in their organization. Filling in questionnaires in job search engines If in the past people applied to job positions they found in newspapers and job boards, today all job postings are hosted on large online job posting databases and platforms that everyone has free access to. On these job search platforms, both the employer who places the job

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Job search methods and work practice

Gintarė Joteikaitė

advertisement and any person who is looking for a job and, perhaps, not even looking for a job yet, can create his/her personal profile. Employers are increasingly inclined not only to place their job advertisement, but also to search for employees independently by reviewing the profiles of those who have registered on the platform. In this regard, one of the most important conditions is to fill in the personal profile on the platform in as much detail and quality as possible, indicating as many positions of interest as possible. At the same time, it is recommended to register on several platforms at once – then the probability of receiving calls increases significantly. One of the most important and relevant employment relationship platforms nowadays is the LinkedIn platform, where it is recommended to update your profile regularly for each professional. In a number of areas, human resource managers in large corporations are looking for employees on this platform. Application to specific job positions offered By filling in the questionnaires on the aforementioned job search platforms, or even without doing so, it is possible to search for and apply to specific job positions for which employees or trainees are sought. Probably, it is the most popular method of job search. The main advantage of this method is that employers who advertise a job advertisement are actively looking for an employee. The main disadvantage is that a lot of candidates usually apply for the same job position and this creates competition.

Applying for as many organizations, which are related to the field of interest, as possible Not so often used method, but probably one of the most effective is applying for as many potential jobs and positions in a particular field as possible. In this case, a well-prepared curriculum vitae and cover letter play a crucial role. It is important to remember to tailor each cover letter and, if necessary, CV to the specific organization, which is being addressed. There is also no need to be afraid and call and inquire about employment opportunities and call again when no reply to your letter is received. Often, an employer who sees a person’s talent and motivation can create an additional job for him/her and invite that person to work in a company he/ she was applying for. Job fairs and job hunting Another interesting way to look for a job is to actively “hunt” for a potential employer or partner at career fairs, conferences, trainings and various public events. In this case, there is no need to do anything special – just actively use all the opportunities offered, participate in exhibitions, events, trainings and conferences that are related to the field of interest, and express yourself boldly in them. Often, acquaintances made in this way turn into partnerships in joint activities or attractive job offers!

For notes, ideas, observations

117

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Curriculum Vitae (CV) Solveiga Sama

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

The aim of the activity is to introduce youngsters with the information on how to write a proper CV, what to include in it, what to not include and what are the important aspects to focus on.

2 hours.

Sheets of paper, printed CV templates, writing tools, projector.

10–20 participants.

At the beginning of the session and before preparing for the theoretical and especially for the practical part, participants are asked to divide into groups of 4–5 people and share in detail all their available work experience: volunteering, initiatives at school or in local communities, hobbies. Attention is drawn to the fact that work experience is not necessarily only paid work experience or services, but also activities carried out on a voluntary basis that have provided knowledge and experience. About 10–15 minutes are provided for this experience sharing. At the end of the task, all groups sit in a circle and the group representatives share what types of experiences have been identified.

Practical tasks

After the theoretical part, participants are asked to write a CV with their own personal information. Youth worker must print out several templates of CVs and hand them outto participants, including a blank paper. Each takes one template and a blank paper. Based on the layout of the CV, the participant must write his/her CV with personal information. The youth worker walks around and checks the written information andgives recommendations, if necessary. Task ends when everyone finishes their CV. Additionally, if the time allows, finished CVs can be exchanged among the participants, colourful pens may be handed out and participants check other people CVs and try to look for some improvements.

End of session reflection methods

118

Participants are invited to ask questions that arose during the performance of the task and to share with all the curriculum vitae prepared by them, the facts marked in it.

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Solveiga Sama

Notes to the leader

The workshop is designed for youngsters starting from 16 years old, who are starting to seek job or are currently looking for a job and need to write a CV. Workshop is designed both for youngsters who have already written a CV and who have never done that before. By the end of the workshop, youngsters will be able to write a properCV using their experience and personal information.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION The theoretical part encompasses tips and tricks on how to write a successful curriculum vitae (CV). The best would be to do a presentation which could be shown on theprojector, and it should entail lots of real life examples. Throughout the presentation, examples from real CVs should be added to show how different options can be done. The presentation has two parts. First, talks about the structure and what should be written (and what should not be written) in each part of the CV. Second, talks about general rules about the CV. The structure part. The CV generally has the following sections: top of the CV with the contact information, personal profile – the goal of the CV, education, work experience, skills and additional sections (achievements, hobbies). We will discuss each part in more detail below. 1. Top of the CV with the contact information: usually entails name and surname, address, phone number, e-mail, and if the person has, website, LinkedIn profile. Youngsters must remember that no birth date, no personal codes, nopassport information, nothing so sensitive and personal should be put on the CV. E-mail has to professional, such as name. surname@gmail.com, it cannot be anything like bunny96@gmail.com. 2. Personal profile – the goal of the CV: here the youngster has to specify the goal of this CV, which usually includes the position for which he/she applies. It should be written so that HR specialist would immediately see for whichposition the candidate is applying and is also seeing that the candidate has prepared the CV specifically for this position. This section can also include a short summary about the candidate, in a maximum of two sentences, which may include characteristics, career goals. 3. Education: the most important thing about the education and the followingsection, work experience, is the fact that all information must be put in achronological order, starting from the most recent. Namely, starting with the current education

and continuing with the past ones. There is not one right layout for the education section. Youth worker needs to put on the presentation excerpts from various CVs to show how it could be done. In addition, it needs to be stated that all information must be consistent, for example, if the first education has date layout dd.mm.yyyy, then the following has to follow it and not suddenly change to 1st May of 2011. Moreover, education usually includes the name of the institution, the name of a degree, the name of the profession (if acquired) and if some exceptional marks were achieved, the test results could be included, for example, the final exam scores, if they look high enough and of course the education includes the period when the education was taken. 4. Work experience: the same as with the education, the information must be in a chronological order, starting from the most recent one. The work experience usually includes the name of the company, the position held and the responsibilities. Important is to stress the consistency of how to write the responsibilities, the information must be consistent, for example, all verbs ending with –ing, or in infinitive or in any other form, but all responsibilities must be written in the same manner. Youth worker must again show examples of various CVs of how the work experience can be written. 5. Skills: here can be included both IT skills, language skills and other skills, such as a driving licence. All IT skills should be listed, starting from Microsoft Office package, ending with all video editing, statistics programs. It should be stressed that if a youngster is highly proficient at any of the programs, the program must be put on the CV. In addition, the best way how to describe language levels is using CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), namely starting from A1 to C2. Moreover, other skills may be added, such as having a driving licence, where the category should be noted. 6. Additional section: here anything additional can be

119

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Curriculum Vitae (CV) Solveiga Sama

listed, for example,personal achievements in some tournaments, Olympiads, sports. Here can be noted contributions to a local society, volunteering, being in associations, committees and so on. Again, youth worker must present some examples from real CVs. There should be another slide after this section with information that is also worth noting. •

CV must be 1 or maximum 2 pages long. If information is more than that, the youngster must

delete the unnecessary information and tailor the CV to the specific position. •

Font needs to be clear, no Italics, it has to be simple enough to read.

•

CV needs to be double checked for spelling, the best would be to give it tosomeone else to double check it for mistakes.

•

Do not lie! All information on the CV must have only truthful information.

For notes, ideas, observations

120

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Curriculum Vitae (CV)

For notes, ideas, observations

121

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Cover letter and job search Solveiga Sama

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

Cover letter and job search

The aim of the activity is to educate youngsters why a cover letter is needed in a job finding process and how to effectively and successfully write it. This seminar is designed for all people who want to know why and how to write a cover letter (motivation letter, letter of intent) when applying for a job.

2 hours.

Sheets of paper, printed CV templates, writing tools, projector.

10–20 participants.

At the beginning of the session and before preparing for the theoretical and especially for the practical part, participants are asked to divide into groups of 4–5 people, in which they share the jobs and positions they would like to apply to and in which they would like to gain work experience. Another variant of the task: several printed job advertisements are distributed to the groups of participants and participants are invited to share their views in groups, about what personal qualities are important in the job positions in question. In the end of the theoretical part of the workshop, participants are asked to write a cover letter themselves. On the white board, the presenter may write in brief the paragraphs description and on the project may project a random job description for which to write a cover letter. The best is to choose a very starting position for everyone, such as a job advertisement for a waitress or local guide. Moreover, it has proven to be also useful to print out sample cover letters and hand out to everyone after the theoretical part to read out and get to see how the letter looks in general. When writing a new cover letter, it will also be helpful to have such an example nearby. Then presenter gives out white paper sheets, sample cover letters and pens and participants are asked to write a cover letter, based on their experience, according to that real job advertisement. It takes around 30 minutes to complete the task and the presenter walks around from time to time and checks participants’ writings. The best is to accompany this task with a CV writing before, because when participants already would have their CV, it is way easier to write a cover letter.

End of session reflection methods

122

At the very end of the seminar, the presenter may ask the following questions: • Was it hard to write a cover letter based on a random job advertisement? • Was it easy or hard to connect your experience with company’s culture and show why they should choose exactly you? • How do you feel, would you be recruited? • Was there something missing in this seminar, what you feel like should be discussed about the cover letter?

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Cover letter and job search

Solveiga Sama

THEORETICAL INFORMATION First of all, why people need to write a cover letter, when applying for job interviews? In most cases, it is hard to display all information on the CV, thus cover letter allows explaining previous job experience in more detail and what is most importantly – explain why exactly that person is the most suitable candidate for this job and this company. Of course, not all industries need a cover letter and not all companiesrequire it. For example, most IT specialists do not write cover letters, because theirexperience is more technical and skills and experience can be written down in CV, whereas for communication and hospitality industries cover letters is a must, because one must explain in detail all responsibilities, which relate to soft skills. Moreover, it is extremely essential to write cover letters for youngsters with little experience. Here one must explain various little experiences and talk about strong skills, characteristics of the person. It is because when a potential employer seeks someone for a startingposition, which is suitable for a youngster, all CV with little experience look alike, thus cover letter can change all the game. For more senior positions, employers seek few specific points and recommendations, thus CV can just be enough for senior positions. In any case, if an employer asks for a cover letter also in later years,anyone must know how to design and lay an effective cover letter, which will speak up to the potential employer. Cover letter must be maximum one page long, however it cannot be too long or too short. A perfect length is around ¾ of the page. The same as with CV, the font must be clear, the space between the lines must be also sufficient, namely, the layout of the letter must be not too scrambled into the page. It should be easy for another person to read the cover letter. Layouts and designs for cover letters vary internationally. There is no one proper design on what to include, but there are things which must be included. For very formal letters, one may start the letter with address to whom and address from whom, as it is common to put in letters. It is not so common, as usually nowadays cover letters are sent via e-mail, thus the sender and receiver are already known. The letter can just start with a headline “cover letter”. Then, the questions comes about how to address the receiver of the letter. If the person’s name (e.g., HR specialist’s name) is known, one may write “Dear Mr. Ryan or Dear Mrs. Philipps”, if the name is not known, one may write “To Whom it May Concern” or “To HR department” or “To the Recruitment personnel”, so it

would be known to which part of the company to send the letter. Following that, cover letter consists of around 5 paragraphs. Such a layout may change, but it depends on how the text is arranged. The following are the topics of the paragraphs. 1. The very first paragraph usually consists of up to 2 sentences, where oneexpresses the goal of the letter and where one has found information about the job. For example, the first paragraph could be as follows: “With this letter I would like to apply for a Project Coordinator position at AML Bank, about which I found out on the local job portal www.cv.lv www. cv.lv. Based on my previous experience, personality traits and suitability to work in your company, I think I would be a suitable candidate for this position.” The most important is to state a clear motivation, goal, position to which one applies and where one has found the information about it. It can be also per recommendation, thus it can also be stated. 2. The next paragraph is about candidate’s previous experience, skills andpersonal traits. Here, it is important not to list again all the responsibilities listed in the CV, but to supplement the information provided there and indicate the skills acquired. For example: “In my previous position I was responsible for coordinating 10 freelancers and managing their time and projects and overseeing their progress, thus I believe I learned how to work with people, how to plan time and effectively manage projects, thus I believe I am very well organized and social.” It is also important here to discuss only those relevant experiences and skills that are relevant to the job being applied for. It is crucial to look at the job description, in order to know exactly what kind of person are they looking for. If they are looking for a person, who works well under pressure, it could be very effective to describe in this paragraph a situation when a candidate experienced working under pressure in the previous job and how they dealt with it. So keep in mind to look at the job advert and refer to all points they are looking in the candidate and answer to all those points in the cover letter. Yes, it takes time to tailor a letter to a specific position, but dedication is what employers want from employees today. This section may also consist of two paragraphs, depending on how much information the candidate wishes to provide.

123

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Cover letter and job search Solveiga Sama

3. The next paragraph is the most important and at the same time the most tricky. The candidate must explain why exactly he/she must be chosen for this job and how the company will benefit from employing the candidate. Here a clear link between the candidate’s experience and the company must be made. Basically, this paragraph needs to show the uniqueness of the candidate and how the company’s performance will improve when a particular candidate is hired. This is tricky because in general no one knows what will actually happen, but one may write like this: “With my experience and skills, I will improve the reputation and brand image in the country” or “I will be able to effectively attract new customers for your store” or “With my experience I will be able toexport your products to new markets”. Moreover, one can also look up the company’s site and explore what are the main strategic goals of the company and address them. For instance, “I have noticed that your company aims to reduce its carbon emission footprint by 40% by 2030. I believe this is such a great goal, as I try to also implement various environment saving techniques in my daily life as well, such as taking my reusable cup to coffee shops and not using one-time plates for barbecue parties in summers”. This clearly shows that the candidate took the time to take an interest in the company and its activities and that candidate really wants

to work in this particular company and that this cover letter has not been sent out to another 100 similar companies. Every company, specifically the HR specialist, wants to feel special and unique, especially when so many candidates are sending in the cover letters. 4. The last and final paragraph is as short as the first one. Here candidate thanks the reader for taking time to read the letter and makes an action statement for future. For example, one can say “Thank you very much for reading through my cover letter and I will be very happy to be invited to a follow-up interview to further expand on my compatibility to the position and your company”. In the end, as always in letters, one must write ending words, such as “Best regards” and then a signature with name and surname.

For notes, ideas, observations

124

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Cover letter and job search

For notes, ideas, observations

125

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Job interview Solveiga Sama

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Job interview

The aim of this activity is to show youngsters approximately how a job interview is done, participate in it from both sides, as an interviewer and as an interviewee and also explore a job finding process challenges in a form of a theatre.

2-3 hours.

Tables, chairs, writing tools, paper sheets.

10–20 participants.

The task is job interview simulation.

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Small tables are arranged in one line in one row. Here, participants sit in a row next to a table, where two participants sit opposite of each other. On one side there are interviewers and on other side – interviewees. A job advertisement is given to both parties and the interviewer also gets a set of questions. 5 minutes are given for each pair to simulate a job interview. After the time, one line moves, either it is interviewees or interviewers, to one direction and pairs change. If the group is quite experienced in job interview process, then people can do job interviews simultaneously. However, if the participants in the group have not had many job interviews, the pairs have to talk in turn, i.e., only one interviewer and one interviewee speak at a time. They go through the questions and after the 5 minutes, listeners give comments, suggestions and feedback on the interview process. The participants then change and the audience become the participants. At the end of the task, participants share how they felt in the process while being in different roles.

Forum Theatre

Practical tasks

126

Presenters must prepare in advance. The main aspect of the activity is that while the theatre is played out, the audience members can influence what is said in the stage and even change places with actors, and in such way improve story and use their analytical thinking. For this forum theatre session to be effective, at least 4 people should be present, but the play can also take place in the presence of 2 people. A story must be laid out and played out. One actor should play the villain, namely the bad boss, who acts negatively and impolitely during a job interview process, one is theinterviewee who seeks a job, one may be the mother of the interviewee and the fourth person can be the story narrator. For example, one story could be that interviewee, a student, talks to his/her mother and the mother says that she cannot pay for university, thus the student must start working. Interviewee goes to a job interview, where the boss tends to look for trailers and acts in a very rude way towards the interviewee. Interviewee tries to work this situation out, and then the job interview is over.

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Job interview

Solveiga Sama

Following that, the mother and the interviewee walk down the street andnotice the boss who is looking for trailers. They start to talk to the boss, but the boss is still looking for trailers and doesn’t act any way nicer.

Practical tasks

The forum theatre activity is special in that the audience can interact with the actors during the performance. When a play takes place, any person can raise his/her hand and change what the actor said, or swap places with the actor, except when talking about the boss who tends to look for trailers. The employer continues to hold his/her position in this story, he/she cannot be replaced by other actors and his/her statements cannot be changed either. The main aim of the audience is to try to act out how to deal with stressful situation. The narrator should coordinate the process and also in the end organize the reflection and discussion about what could have been different. It is important to energize people so that they would be active andparticipate in the activity.

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, each participant shares their thoughts, questions, emotions, and what they take out of the session.

Notes to the leader

This workshop is meant for youngsters 16+ who already have done some job interviews or only will start applying for jobs and will experience job interview process. The goal is to get acquainted with what kind of questions will be asked, and how to answer or not answer them and how to deal with negative situations in a fictive job finding process through theatre.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Job interview process may both intimidate and delight young people because, firstly, they are invited to an interview, and that is a success in itself, but secondly, how should they act during the interview, which questions to answer and which ones better not to answer? Moreover, the youngster must also understand that job interview is not only one sided questioning, there must be also a space for questions in return, because for the candidate it is an opportunity to get to know the company and understand whether it is a good fit for him/her. Regarding how to act during an interview, there is no one clear answer, but there are some guidelines which one may follow. First of all, a good research of the company and its policies and its formerprogrammes is always a good idea. Candidate may just google and get acquainted with all sorts of the information about the company locally and, if applicable, also globally. Secondly, candidate must understand how to dress up for the job interview. It really depends on the outfit usually worn in that company. If that is bank, then one must wear quite formal wear, if that is an advertising

company, it will be quite a casual outfit. It is even maybe better to wear a bit more formal clothing than a more casual clothing. Thirdly, one must always come on time for the job interview. Arriving 5 minutes earlier is perfect, arriving too early or too late is not a good sign to an employer. Then, a job interview starts. The best is to just be calm and consider the conversation as a chat, not an interrogation. Interview usually starts with a very common question “Please tell us about yourself”. Here, the candidate must briefly provide basic information about himself/herself in about 1 minute, indicating what motivates him/her to work for a particular company and what he/she expects from that particular job. It is always good to just smile and be relaxed during a job interview. Then interviewer will ask other questions, which are very different percompany. Here are some key tricky questions and possible answers to them. What are your biggest weaknesses? Here, the candidate should not necessarily reveal his/ her true weaknesses. The best is to tell about some trait,

127

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Job interview Solveiga Sama

which can be viewed both negatively and positively. For example, “I am often seen in my work as a perfectionist, I try to do everything as precise and correct as possible, yes, sometimes it takes a lot of time, but then I know that job is done perfectly”. An employer may not always consider such a trait to be very positive, but it also shows your good side when answering the above question.

employer wants to know how candidate deals with such common situations. It is again not a good idea to say that candidate does not get stressed, or such situations do not happen, because it is not true. Better candidate should give an example situation and explain how she/ he pro-actively mitigated the crisis.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Employer also wants to know about the candidate’s personal life, namely hobbies and interests, because no one wants to hire a workaholic who will burn out in first month of the work and quit. Here candidate is free to shine and express all kinds of interests and hobbies. One must only note to not dwell in this question too long to not show employer that he/she will only have free time and will not work at all.

Here in fact various answers can be made. The answer definitely should be truthful and reflect your career goals. It is not a bad sign if a candidate says that he/ she would like to become Director of this company or have a higher position in some other company. Personal goals to be pursued, such as having a family, moving to another country, or running a successful business, can also be named. Why do you want this job? Here, the candidate must talk not how cool the company is, but why this particular position is suitable for him/ her and how the candidate is suitable for this position in both the short and long term. Tell me how you think other people would describe you. Here the best way is to really think how friends have complimented you and what were some special situations, where friends told you nice things about you. It’s best to share a few stories to show how you treated people well in those particular cases. Tell me about a situation where you made a mistake. In answering this question, the candidate must tell the truth and indeed talk about some mistake made in a professional field and how he/she dealt with it and solved it. It is definitely not a good option to give an answer like this: “I have never made mistakes,” because we have all made mistakes in the past. Candidate must be truthful and talk about the mistake in a positive light and focus on all positive aspects, namely on solving the issue. What is your motivation to have this position? Never ever candidate must answer that money is his/ her motivation. People, of course, work to make money, but that shouldn’t be the main motivation to get a job. In terms of motivation, it is good to indicate new work experience, professional skills development, the desire to try something new and the development of your personality. How do you deal with pressure and stress? Very often in job places tasks must be done very quickly and always occur some problems and issues, thus

128

What do you like to do outside of work?

Do you have any questions you would like to ask me? This is usually the last question and is really important. Candidate should use the possibility and ask something of interest to the HR specialist, in order to show compassion and real interest into the work of the company. Some typical questions could be: “What is something you enjoy the most about your job?” or “What do employees like the most about the company?”, or “Where do you seeyourself in 5 years?”. It all really depends what candidate wants to know, but one should definitely use this opportunity and ask something very valuable in order to also understand your fit to the company.

MODULE: Job Search Methods and Employment SUBJECT TITLE: Job interview

For notes, ideas, observations

129

Template for career-focussed education session

You may fill in this template to create your own unique session to meet the needs of your target group

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

130

You may use this sheet to describe the theoretical material you would be using during the session

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

131

For notes, ideas, observations

132

MODULE V

BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS The aim of the module is to introduce young people to the fundamentals of business creation and to provide tools that will help them to learn to look creatively at the implementation of personal entrepreneurial ideas and solutions to related challenges. With the help of the methods presented in the module, participants will learn to discover and understand the uniqueness of their business idea and to appropriately prepare their product or service for the market.

133

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: Idea pitch and business model Nadzeya Putsiata

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Idea pitch and business model

The aim of the session is to acquaint the participants with the methods of quick presentation of an idea and creation of a business model, developing the skill to generate and shape a business idea at the same time managing time efficiently.

2–3 hours.

Chairs, projector, flip chart, writing tools, large paper sheets.

10–30 participants. Participants freely allocate in space and are invited to walk there freely. The leader establishes different speeds: very slow, very fast, medium speed, and so on. He/she can also come up with some creative speeds: space speed, rocket speed, rest speed, learning speed. This will encourage participants to look creatively at the task. At some point, the leader suddenly says “STOP”, and, upon hearing this sign, each participant looks into the eyes of one of the participants he/she sees first at that moment, and those two participants who looked at each other at that moment keep telling one another about themselves for one minute. Then the participants start moving again. Participants hear the “STOP” signal several times and thus get the opportunity to talk to 3–4 different participants. This method is a great introduction to the topic of idea pitch. PART I. AN IDEA PITCH Task no. 1 Participants are invited to write an Elevator Pitch of their project and share it with all participants, carefully following the time. The entire presentation should be no longer than 90 seconds. To make it easier for the participants, they can get acquainted with the first presentations of world-famous companies.

Practical tasks

Task no. 2 In the next phase, participants are invited to contact their friends and acquaintances and present their idea in an analogous Elevator Pitch format. Do the listeners understand everything? What questions do they raise? Depending on the results, participants are invited to supplement the presentation text. Task no. 3 Finally, participants are invited to call their grandmother, grandfather, or other senior representative they know and give their presentation for the third time. Does this time the listener also understands everything? One of the key aspects of an idea pitch success is its simplicity and lightness when understanding the idea. Participants are invited to refine the existing idea for the third time. PART II: BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS The group of participants is divided into smaller groups of 4–5 people, in which everyone is invited to create a canvas of their created business model according to the presented theory.

134

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: Idea pitch and business model

Nadzeya Putsiata

End of session reflection methods

Participants are invited to freely share their experiences, lessons learned, perceptions and observations that they experienced during the session and that they will apply in the future.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION PART I. AN IDEA PITCH

PART II. BUSINESS MODEL

Imagine that you had to come up with a brilliant business idea. Perhaps, you already have a prototype of implementation of that idea. In order to implement a project to the fullest, to create a product, to start selling and promoting it, you need money. And here you enter the elevator of the business centre, you press the button to the 100th floor and at the very last moment another person enters the same elevator. For your success, this person turns out to be one well-known investor with whom you have long been looking for an opportunity to meet. And behold, there are two of you in the elevator, this person cannot get away from you anywhere, and you have about 3 minutes during which you have the opportunity to present your idea in a way that you would be invited to another meeting. And especially that after 3 minutes this person would want to invest in your idea.

Why is it important to create a business model for your project?

This quick presentation is called an Elevator Pitch or an Elevator Speech. This is a short description of an idea, product, or service that explains its concept. At first glance, the task does not seem difficult, but most business developers get confused when trying to present their idea, forget to say the most important things, and present only its secondary functions. So if, during that short time when you are taking the elevator, you fail to present your idea clearly, the investor is unlikely to understand what your product is and what it is about. In that case, the potential investor will be happy to finally get out of the elevator to escape from you and won’t want to invite you to an extra meeting. To prevent this from happening, the short presentation in the elevator needs to be thought through carefully without missing a single detail. Even if someone wakes you up in the middle of the night, you need to be able to present your idea easily and pleasantly. And in order to make the above-mentioned short presentation of the project easy to understand for others, we will present a business model development method that will help to understand and formulate the essential parts of the idea structure.

1. This is the very first sketch of a business idea that does not require any significant time and financial input. It is needed to investigate all possible alternatives and choose the most appropriate strategy option for project development. 2. You do not need several weeks to develop a business model, as it is formulated and described in about twenty minutes. 3. The obtained result provides an opportunity to quickly and efficiently present your business model to internal and external stakeholders (investors, partners). 4. The business model provides an opportunity to model separately each individual product/service which is intended to be placed on the market. 5. The development of a business model has a positive effect on the integrity of the team, as all team members are involved in the formation of the product strategy and therefore, they are likely to be more involved in the implementation of the product/ service in the market. It is important to remember that the business model is an everyday tool. It is not so that a business model is created once and operates throughout the entire life of the business. It is just commendable when the model is constantly improved, supplemented and adapted to the realities of the time market. Another term that is important to know when starting a business model is MVP (Minimum viable product), a product that has minimal but sufficient features to meet the needs of early-adopter consumers. The main task is to get feedback from customers/consumers in order to successfully continue to develop the product in the future. Gathering information from MVP feedback is in most cases significantly cheaper than creating a product with a large number of sophisticated features.

135

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: Idea pitch and business model Nadzeya Putsiata

provide feedback. They will no longer be an abstract category of customers, but specific people. It is best to discover them as soon as possible and invite them to try a product that is still completely “fresh” or, more usefully, discuss the model with them even before creating the product.

This makes it possible to reduce risks and costs in the event that a product proves to be less effective and marketable than it initially seemed. Recommended books on this topic are listed below. 1. Easy option: Eric Ries “The Lean Startup”

Phase 2. A problem that is being addressed

2. More complex option: Steve Blank “The startup owner’s manual”

Often, business developers start their business by thinking about what they can create, what innovations to offer. However, the implementation of a business idea should be viewed from a slightly different perspective. From the very beginning, it is important to have a thorough overview and understanding of what the

We will complete the Lean Canvas business model. This is a simplified version of business models for start-up entrepreneurs. This version looks as indicated below.

4 2

Solution

Problem

Unfair advantage

Unique value proposition

Key metrics

6 Channels

Cost structure

Revenue streams

We first determine our customer segments. At first you will want to declare: “Everyone needs my product.” Unfortunately, this is the most common mistake. Even if you are planning a large expansion, it is worth starting from a smaller scale. The more precisely the customer segment of a product is defined, the better and more purposefully it will be possible to understand and solve their problems. And so the product itself will be the more successful. It is better to start with one segment by gradually expanding it than to dedicate a product to everyone and thus make it inconvenient for everyone. It should be clarified immediately whether the two types of customers coincide or not, i.e., those who use the product (users) and those who pay for it (customers). Let’s imagine that a product is being created for children, but parents pay for it. In this case, you will need several different coloured pens to complete all the information for both categories. We now move on to the lower part of the first chapter, which is named as “Early adopters” or the first participants. They are the most important people because they will be the first to try out the product and

1 Customer segments

8 Phase 1. Customer segments

136

client’s problem and pain are being addressed and only then what specific strategies will be taken in order to address them. If we do not find the problem ourselves, we return to the first phase, in which we described the first participants and users. We go to these people and ask their opinions. If we see that the problems and pains of different customer segments are different, then we create a separate model for each segment. This will be much more purposeful and sharp than trying to fit everything into one model. In this way, it may become clear that different products will have to be developed for different customer segments. The next step in this matrix is the existing alternatives. The customer problem did not occur here and now. It has existed before, which means it has been addressed in some way. This means recognizing that you will have to compete with these alternatives to solutions by appropriating someone’s customers. We describe the existing competitors. Phase 3. Source of revenue A product is designed not only to implement an idea, but also to make money. We need to figure out how we are going to do that. We need to create a model and test

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: Idea pitch and business model

Nadzeya Putsiata

how realistic the idea is. A comparison of competitors will help in this process. We defined them in the previous phase, so now it is possible to compare and understand why our proposal will be interesting for alternatives that already exist. And again, the ideas available can be discussed with the aforementioned early-adopter participants, consumers. Are they willing to pay defined amounts for solving their problems? Phase 4. We move on to the solution And here we finally move on to our favourite part: what exactly do we offer? We describe the key strategies and options for the proposed solution, considering what we have described above. How exactly will we address these problems and pains? Phase 5. Unique offer In the next phase, it is important to formulate in one sentence, based on your proposed decision, what makes your product or service unique and and how does it differ from the one that is offered by your competitors. It is important to define the essential, key differences and that the full description would not exceed 140 characters.

and costs’ flows as well as planned targets. Are they correlated? Do we really achieve the planned targets by having the costs and revenues that we expect? How many customers do we need to have? Phase 9. A veiled advantage We live in a rapidly changing world where technology is so advanced that anything can be easily copied. If you create the best product, what can stop others from copying it in three or six months? It is best to think in advance about some kind of security barrier. You can use a variety of options – large customer base, patents, licenses, brand, high price. This should be something that will not allow competitors to quickly repeat your accomplishments. This is the most difficult phase of all. In most cases, we finally realize that everything can be copied and repeated. So all you have to do is run faster than the others to always stay ahead.

Phase 6. Sales channels We now move on to how customers will learn about a new product. And here, customer segmentation and first customers will play a key role. What communication channels do they use? In what ways do they make decisions? Phase 7. Key quantitative indicators It is important to measure any success and progress. It is worth setting up in advance the criteria according to which the project will be assessed. The first key calculation is the minimum success criteria. What goals need to be achieved in order to say that the project is a success? In order to create minimum success criteria, we need to set the following goals: •

How the product will be refined within three years?

•

What the financial result will be within three years

Phase 8. Cost structure We have already decided what we create and how we distribute it. We can now decide on the cost structure. In this case, it is important to separate two blocks. •

Primary costs for the creative process.

•

Regular costs for development.

Once the cost structure has been created and completed, the three blocks can be analysed together: revenue

137

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: The emergence of money, entrepreneurship and pricing Nadzeya Putsiata

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

The emergence of money, entrepreneurship and pricing The aim of the session is to introduce the participants to the history of the emergence of money and trade relations and to strengthen the pricing skills of goods and services.

2–3 hours.

Chairs, projector, flip chart, writing tools, large paper sheets.

10–30 participants.

Participants are divided into groups of 4–5 people and are invited to discuss the following issues (4–5 minutes are provided for each issue to discuss): Acquaintance/ team building methods

•

Who is a businessman and who is an entrepreneur, and how do these two concepts differ?

•

Share a story of a businessman or of an entrepreneur you know and follow and tell us why this personality fascinates you?

•

What qualities do you need to build your business or take entrepreneurship in any field?

Each group tells everyone what they have discussed. Other participants comment and complement. Task: “Product or service pricing model“

Practical tasks

Participants are invited to divide into groups (those who would like to can also work individually) and, according to the example of the scheme provided in the theoretical part, to form a pricing scheme of your created product or service, in which the whole pricing process would be portrayed visually as creative as possible. In the second phase, participants are asked to develop a pricing strategy, i.e., to depict or to describe how the product or service will be introduced to the market and offered to customers. Participants have 20–30 minutes to complete the task. After completing the task, groups of participants are invited to present their ideas publicly. Participants-listeners are invited to share comments, questions, tips.

End of session reflection methods

138

At the end of the session, participants are invited to close their eyes, remember all the experiences they have had during the session, and think about what thing they have in their lives they consider “invaluable” and to imagine it as best as possible. After about a minute, participants are invited to open their eyes and share their feelings at the end of the session and name one thing that they consider invaluable in their lives.

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: The emergence of money, entrepreneurship and pricing

Nadzeya Putsiata

THEORETICAL INFORMATION HOW DID ENTREPRENEURSHIP START? Barter trade In ancient times (2.5 million years ago), the world was dominated by hunters-gatherers, whose main activity was to search for and hunt for food. They didn’t have to decide where to plant an apple or where to grow a mammoth. And of course back then they weren’t buying or selling anything. At that time, responsibilities could be distributed unequally between people and groups, but “goods” and “services” were distributed via a mechanism of mutual commitment. The donated piece of meat on a barter basis was exchanged for medical care, stones were exchanged for shells, and the like. Everything changed about 10 thousand years ago, when people decided to grow and breed several species of plants and animals. From dawn to sunset, people began planting seeds, watering plants, weeding weeds, grazing sheep because they realized that this activity would supply them with much larger amounts of grain, fruit, and meat than gathering and hunting. In this way the agricultural revolution took place. Over time, people have mastered farming, learned to stock up on enough food and engage in various activities. Some began to pay more attention to animal husbandry, others did better in horticulture, and so on. And gradually things began to evolve in such a way that one family had an excessive amount of one resource (for example, meat) and a shortage of another resource (for example, grain). Such families, living next to each other, began to realize that they can exchange above mentioned resources, and thus began the first trade relationship – an exchange. With the creation of cities and kingdoms, the development of transport infrastructure, new opportunities for specialization have emerged. Not only professional doctors and shoemakers, but also carpenters, priests, lawyers and officers began to establish themselves in larger cities. Some villages were famous for their wine, others for their olive oil, and others for pottery. And here the problem arose: how to improve the exchange between such a large number of professionals? The emergence of money The system of mutual services ceases to operate when a large number of strangers get involved in it. It is possible to try to continue using barter trade, but there may be various complications when the benefits offered to the exchange will not be necessary for one of the parties

or it will be difficult to calculate how to evaluate one or another item (for example, trying to figure out how many apples you need to give for a pair of shoes). This problem has been addressed in a variety of ways. An integrated banking system was created, where all the resources were brought together and efforts were made to distribute them evenly in some way. Over time, most communities have developed a much simpler way to perform the exchange between many professionals in narrow fields: they have started using money. Money has been independently created many times in different parts of the world at the same time. This discovery in itself does not require any technological innovation, as it is the result of an intellectual breakthrough of humanity. Money is not necessarily coins and banknotes. It’s all that people have systematically agreed to use when paying for goods and services, in other words, everything that calculates the price of all things. After coming up with money idea, people were finally able to quickly and easily calculate the price of a wide variety of items (apples, shoes, divorce proceedings) and quickly carry out the exchange process as well as accumulate savings in a convenient form. The best form of money we know is a coin. But the money itself emerged a lot earlier than people learned to manufacture money. Many communities began to thrive when they started using shells, livestock, fur, salt, grain, necklaces, materials, and debt statements. Using money, we can quickly and easily measure the comparative value of all goods and services. In a monetary economy, a shoemaker only needs to know the price of different types of footwear and he/she does not need to memorize the price ratio between shoes and apples or shoes and goats. And also, the gardener no longer needs to choose from all the shoemakers the one who likes apples as everyone accepts money. That is the historical essence of money – it was created so that it could always be exchanged for anything needed. Fundamental pricing principles Considering the entire history of monetary and economic development in the world, we can see that money, which seems like a simple and fairly clear measure of value to all, at the same time, most people are wondering why some people have a lot of money and others have little. Famous and wealthy people of the world state that financial well-being depends on each person’s internal

139

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: The emergence of money, entrepreneurship and pricing Nadzeya Putsiata

attitudes towards money, self-worth, and activity. In the framework of this activity, we will not talk about the psychological aspects of financial well-being, but we will learn the basic principles of pricing of goods and services. The first session of this module was about developing a business model in which participants have already managed to create models of their business ideas. If the same participants take part in this activity, they can continue their work by developing ideas they already have, or focus on completely new goods and services offered – whether they are real or hypothetical. Thus, PRICE is a cash basis of the value of a good or service. PRICING is an element of a marketing complex that includes processes aimed at determining the price of a good or service. PRICING STRATEGY is a method and action algorithms, that are used to achieve objectives of pricing and prices. Pricing strategy is influenced by both internal (marketing strategy and goals) and external (demand and market) factors. PRICING METHODOLOGY is a set of pricing rules which reflects the principles of value creation of goods or services.

complex formulas that help calculate the price of a product, taking into account many factors: materials used, transportation, workforce, downtime cost, refresher training, and so on. The larger and more complex the structure of the companies that create one or another product, service, or value, the more complex the pricing process becomes. The service pricing process would look similar, some elements of the cost of developing the service could vary, for example, there could be refresher training costs, costs for the recreation service provider to maintain the quality of services, and so on. Pricing strategy can be developed based on different factors: it can be a completely new and innovative service or product and then it can be offered at a relatively higher price. “Apple” company operates on a similar principle: from the very beginning of its existence, it set significantly higher prices for its products than was recommended for this innovative company. Other strategies, such as establishment or penetration strategy, may be chosen where the price set is significantly lower than the average price in order to attract as many customers as possible. Pricing strategies can vary depending on the different economic circumstances in which a company finds itself.

Pricing methodologies can have a wide variety of

tis

ve r

rti

50 €

Rent of premises

0€ 10

Tr a

We could illustrate the product pricing process in the following simple diagram:

DEVELOPED PRODUCT

PROFIT

200€

Labor force

U 5 m sed 0€ at er ia ls

Prime cost

Ta xe s

1050€ 140

VAT

~21%

1270,5€

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: The emergence of money, entrepreneurship and pricing

For notes, ideas, observations

141

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: How does a business start? Nadzeya Putsiata

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

How does a business start? The aim of the session is to encourage participants to take a creative look at the business idea development process, to generate activity ideas and to employ their hobbies.

3–4 hours.

Chairs, projector, flip chart, writing tools, large paper sheets, magazines, scissors, glue, pencils, crayons, felt-tip pens.

10–30 participants.

At the beginning of the session, the group of participants is given two short tasks, during which the whole group is invited to participate in the discussion. Task no. 1: “Recognize an entrepreneur according to a photo” Pick some photos of famous entrepreneurs and invite participants to tell what personalities are pictured in these photos, to tell the life stories of these entrepreneurs and how their businesses work. Acquaintance/ team building methods

Task no. 2: “Employment of favourite activities” Participants are invited to write on a piece of paper all the activities they can engage in with pleasure for many hours a day. These can be hobbies, leisure activities, learning areas. Approximately five minutes after completing this task, participants are invited to review their list again and write next to each activity how it could become profitable. For example, if the participant likes to sew, he/she can start providing sewing services, if the participant is interested in fitness, his/her activity has the potential to grow into a sports club. Practice shows that most of the favourite activities of people have the potential and tendency to become the start of a profitable business or individual activity. After completing the task individually, participants are invited to group in pairs and present to each other what they have written.

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

142

Participants are invited to submit their answers for each of the points in the theoretical part described above and for the four tasks described. Participants can perform these tasks individually or in groups, depending on their own needs. After completing the task, participants are invited to present it to the whole group of participants and to participate in the discussion together.

Participants are invited to publicly share their work, present their creatively portrayed and described potential client, as well as share their impressions during the session.

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: How does a business start?

Nadzeya Putsiata

THEORETICAL INFORMATION HOW TO LOOK FOR BUSINESS IDEAS? There are several ways to discover an idea for your future business. 1. Hobbies and leisure activities Confucius has said: “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”A hobby is the most reliable option for building a personal business, because by creating it you will be able to do exclusively what you like and, at the same time, earn well. 2. Do not engage in a reinvention of the wheel Take a look around: what business ideas inspire you? Perhaps you recently visited a foreign country and saw there an interesting business idea that you could repeat in your own country? This is a very convenient way to build a business, because in this case the business is already established elsewhere, so you can explore all its nuances. However, you should also look at this way of building a business with caution. For example, you like to visit cafes and are thinking about opening your own cafe. But it is also worth considering that there may already be enough cafes around here. In this case, this idea of your own cafe will not be the most profitable. If you saw a business idea in a foreign country, it is not worth bringing a direct copy of it to your country. All national, historical and mental features of the area need to be taken into account, i.e., you need to implement the project taking into account all the realities of your city.

implementation of the project, it is important to thoroughly examine and understand the uniqueness of the idea, how it differs from hundreds of other similar proposals. It is important to have a clear understanding of what the target customer group is and how best to communicate with that group. Therefore, you need to work extensively in preparing to present your idea to the public. Task no. 1. Answer the questions below: 1. What is the essence of your project? Describe in detail your idea and its uniqueness (the description should be as detailed as possible). 2. Choose some of the most important nuances you have described when answering the first question. In other words, shorten your detailed description to three essential sentences that outline the most important ideas about the project. 3. What customer problem will you solve when implementing your project? 4. Why is this a problem? 5. How is this problem being addressed at the moment?

3. Take a look at a variety of information online, read articles and books about the field you want to pursue. When creating a business idea, it is important to consider the following conditions: •

A business idea has to solve people’s problems and make their lives easier, otherwise no one will want to buy your product or service.

•

A business owner needs to thoroughly examine all the nuances of his/her future business. In order to establish your own cafe you need to go through all the career ladder in a cafe to understand how all the processes function there.

•

The business idea needs to be adapted to the location where it is being developed.

Task no. 1: Unique sales offer In order to have a high chance of successful

143

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: How does a business start? Nadzeya Putsiata

Task no. 2. Fill in the table about the target group of potential users of the product or service

No.

Question

Customer gender, age, nature of activity

Education, income, family status

Where do customers often spend their time?

What are the most important values of the customer segment group? (E.g., family, ecology, honesty, etc.)

What pleases potential customers the most in respect of their problem and its solution?

What angers and saddens the customer the most when he/she is looking for ways to solve his/her problem?

Who are their authorities? (Who are these people your customers admire and whose level do they want to reach?)

What actions are they willing to repeat while observing their authorities? And what actions would they never perform?

What price is offered to customers for a product or service and what do they think about the price offered?

10.

What makes customers like your competitors?

11.

What makes customers dislike your competitors?

144

Answer (answers are provided by the participants of the sessions)

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: How does a business start?

Nadzeya Putsiata

12.

What is the most important to them when making a decision to purchase your offered product or service?

13.

What could stimulate potential customers to start buying your products or use your offered services already today?

14.

What social networks do your customers visit most often and what are their actions there?

Task no. 3. Portray your customer It is a creative task in which participants are invited to imagine their potential customers and portray them, taking into account all aspects of them as active buyers. Participants are invited to draw their customer or cut out images of their potential customers from magazines. Participants are also invited to describe in detail the needs, lifestyle, problems, financial resources, work and leisure style, and other important aspects of their client (or several clients).

(Place for participants’ descriptions) Task no. 4: The uniqueness of my project This is a key short message to the target audience. The message should contain the unique benefits of the product that the potential user of the product or service would receive. Awareness of the uniqueness of your product or service helps to differentiate yourself from competitors, to stand out in the face of similar goods or services as well as to increase the results of advertising campaigns. Here you can describe the unique characteristics of the product, new solutions, “problem - solution” scenarios, etc.

(Place for participants’ descriptions)

145

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: Marketing Nadzeya Putsiata

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Marketing The aim of the session is to acquaint the participants with the foundations of marketing and the latest marketing trends in the 21st century.

2–3 hours.

Chairs, projector, flip chart, writing tools, large paper sheets, magazines, scissors, glue, pencils, crayons, felt-tip pens.

10–30 participants.

To get started, the leader can bring products from several well-known brands, such as:

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Coca-Cola bottle, McDonald’s cheeseburger, a bag of chips, some specific social networking sound (sent message, heart, reaction, “like” button click). All participants are invited to blindfold. By using each sensation (touch, taste, smell, sound), participants are presented with several things separately on the principle of sensory theatre: the leader gives participants to listen to the sound of Coca-Cola bubbles or allows to touch the relief of the bottle, allows them to smell McDonald’s food, to feel the taste or texture of chips or to hear the sound of social networking features. At the end of the experience, participants are invited to open their eyes and write down what they have heard, tasted, felt, touched, necessarily indicating the specific brand to which this sound, taste, smell, tactile sensation belongs. Participants are informed that this experience is an introduction to the topic of marketing.

Task no. 1: Marketing network development according to 4P model Based on the presented theoretical part about the 4P model, participants are invited to form an appropriate marketing network for the selected product or service. 1. It is necessary to decide which product or service will be placed on the market. 2. It is necessary to decide what will the price of the product or service be. Practical tasks

3. It is necessary to decide which sales channels will be used to sell a product or service. 4. It is necessary to decide what feeds to use when selling a product or service. Task no. 2: Brand Feelings Taking into account the previously performed task no. 1, participants are invited to take into account the nuances of sensory marketing and to devise how the product or service that is being created could satisfy and appeal to all five human senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch) as much as possible.

146

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: Marketing

Nadzeya Putsiata

Task no. 3: The Marketing Revolution Given the theoretical part about the five marketing revolutions, participants are invited to answer the following questions. 1. How unique is a product or service and how is this uniqueness conveyed through marketing? Practical tasks

2. What characterizes the quality of a product or service? 3. How do you mark a brand and make it memorable? Why should customers and buyers want to associate themselves with this brand? 4. How does the personality or group of people who develops and distributes a product or service present themselves? 5. How do you create and nurture a community of consumers of a particular product or service? What unites people belonging to this community?

End of session reflection methods

After completing the tasks, participants or groups of participants are invited to present the results of their work and discuss. At the end of the session, each participant is asked to choose a product of a certain brand which he/she has with him/her and share why is this product important to him/her. Participants are also encouraged to share their experiences and perceptions gained during the session.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION PART I. MARKETING Marketing is often equated with advertising, discount promotions in stores, but this is not true in principle, as marketing is a much broader and more important concept than just promotion. What is marketing? What goals and objectives does this area define? What does marketing involve? Let’s look at everything in turn.

Next, let’s look at the marketing complex:

PROMOTION

PRODUCT

„Marketing is the process of identifying target markets and the needs that exist in them, as well as a further strategy to meet those needs, which is to be implemented more effectively than competitors can do that.“ Roman Hiebing, Skott Cooper

One of the main marketing concepts is the marketing complex 4P. Currently, improved and expanded complexes 5P, 7P and 9P already exist and they are also worth to get acquainted with. However, the 4P complex is still considered the main one. Mainly, the marketing complex is understood as a constantly changing model controlled by the marketing department. It is the integrated and at the same time systematic work with this model that provides an opportunity to achieve a consistent result in the field of marketing.

PLACE

PRICE

147

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: Marketing Nadzeya Putsiata

It is these elements and variable factors that are the focus of marketing professionals, recognized as fundamental and requiring constant attention. All these elements of the marketing complex are closely interrelated and it is in the context of the interconnection of these elements in the field of marketing that people plan, develop and implement marketing actions.

employees’ loyalty; •

Customer support and stimulation;

•

Innovation;

•

Marketing budget planning.

In this way, we can understand that marketing is a very large field which helps business in virtually everything. If you’re interested in exploring marketing, here are some specific areas that deserve extra attention:

•

Product – a product, good, service and everything that is related to it: name, packaging, marking, colours, etc.

•

Price is the price of a product that is established in line with competitors’ prices.

1. Marketing research: analysis of competitors’ products and target groups. It will be useful for those who like numbers and analytics.

•

Place – a place and ways in which goods and services are distributed, the ways in which a product reaches the buyer and the consumer, the way in which it is served, publicized and offered to potential customers and buyers.

2. Branding: how to win the hearts of customers and encourage the desire to associate themselves with a particular brand. Some of the best examples of a successful brand are the following: Apple, CocaCola and the like.

•

Promotion – ways of disseminating and promoting a product or service in order to form the need for its acquisition.

3. Public relations: how to communicate with the public starting with the brand name (not to be confused with advertising). One of the most successful public relations campaigns is considered to be the CocaCola’s Christmas campaign. In the past, Santa’s clothes were blue, and as a result of the Coca-Cola Christmas campaign, his clothes became red.

Aptarėme, į kokius elementus svarbu atkreipti dėmesį, siekiant sukurti nuoseklią marketingo strategiją. Dabar apžvelkime, kokie marketingo tikslai ir uždaviniai. We discussed what elements are important to consider in order to develop a coherent marketing strategy. At the same time, let’s look at what goals and objectives does marketing deals with? Marketing goals: Increasing profits

•

Attracting as many customers as possible

•

Preservation of customer attention and loyalty

Marketing tasks: •

Research and analytics;

•

Development of new products and their presentation in the market;

•

Price analysis of competitors, product pricing and its modification, discounts;

•

Dissemination: advertising, public relations, sales promotion, etc.;

•

Sales channels: search for new channels, improvement of existing channels, work with partners;

•

Online marketing and online sales;

•

Opportunities for contact with potential buyers – their improvement and development;

•

Internal

148

5. SMM – social media marketing 6. SEO (search engine optimization) – search engine marketing.

•

marketing

4. Advertising: when, where and how to talk about your products.

purpose

preserve

PART II. THE HISTORY OF MARKETING AND THE FIVE MAJOR MARKETING REVOLUTIONS The history of marketing has been evolving along with the global technological explosions and changes in the business world. In the beginning, there were goods and services that were in constant demand, but their supply was low. Over time, supply began to grow more and more. As a result, there was a need to develop the marketing field itself, which began to become more complex when discovering ever new ways to attract consumers and increasing the demand of the products on offer in innovative ways. Below are five key historical phases during which marketing changed and took on new shades each time. 1. PRODUCT. At the beginning of marketing, when the agrarian society was still prevalent, the main focus of marketing was on the product itself, its production and presentation. In small towns or villages, there were well-known artisans and farmers from

MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: Marketing

Nadzeya Putsiata

different fields, whose goods and products were always in high demand. The main marketing tasks were to manage to produce a sufficient quantity of the required product and deliver it to the public in a timely manner, usually in one well-known marketplace or fair. 2. QUALITY. As the number of population of the same area increased, so did the number of traders offering the same goods and services. Supply gradually began to surpass demand, therefore, traders and service providers had to look for other ways to attract buyers and customers. The main goal on this path has become the concept of quality. Craftsmen and the first entrepreneurs realized that in order to outperform competitors, they had to offer better quality and to better present the distinctiveness of that quality. Thus began the loud shouts in the marketplaces, the persuasion of buyers and negotiations over prices. 3. BRAND. With the industrial revolution, production began to develop incredibly fast. The abundance of goods and services began to significantly exceed all expectations and needs. Traders, craftsmen, farmers had to re-think how to compete between many quality goods and services. This is how the concept of brand was born. Traders began to offer not only goods or services but also associative signs, which encouraged customers to become loyal and to build communities in their own way, in which customers who were using one or another brand used to recognize and identify each other. 4. PERSONALITY. But in the long run, even personality was not enough. Over time, many brands were created that even began to form around themselves certain castes of people: people who use only APPLE electronics, people who wear only Nike clothing, people who choose only BMW, and etc. However, with the development of social networks, another need has arisen – it is a direct connection with a personality that associates himself/herself with one or another brand. In this way, not so long ago the concept of personality branding has emerged. Customers and buyers began to care not only about the quality of the product or the brand whose products they buy, but also about the personality or group of personalities involved in the development of a particular product.

subconsciously began to divide into the “castes” of brand followers. It is already foreseeable that the group of most loyal customers will be formed by those brands and personalities who will be able to bring together like-minded communities around their services which will be no less active than historical religious communities or movements with their own traditions, celebrations, and internal support system.

PART III. SENSORY MARKETING You have probably noticed that every brand has its own unique, memorable colour? Maybe when you go to one or another supermarket you smell a strange but pleasant smell? Or maybe you notice differences in music tracks in one or another cafe? So all this is not a coincidence – every company or institution, and especially well-known brands in the world, thoroughly selects every sensory detail that is being presented to the customer. This is called a sensory marketing strategy. The goal of this relatively new and innovative marketing direction is to appeal to all human senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) in order to create the most pleasurable experience possible for all five human senses. At the beginning of its existence, marketing focused exclusively on the senses of sight and hearing, other senses were touched only by purchasing specific goods or services (a taste of a cake or a massage service as a result of the purchase). However, over the years, marketing specialists have realized that no human sensation can be ignored when developing a marketing strategy, and the brand will be more in demand when more senses create a strong associative interface in the customer’s subconscious. Of course, it is vital that this associative interface is as enjoyable as possible and would be addictive because of its uniqueness. The best example in the world of sensory marketing is once again the Coca-Cola brand, which has associatively appropriated the colour red, created a sensually recognizable bottle of its drink that can be recognized even when broken, and even created a unique bubble sound characteristic to this drink. So we can see that many things that seem natural and self-evident at first sight can, in fact, be thoroughly strategized, developed, and improved year after year.

5. COMMUNITY. One of the latest marketing revolutions is focused on the importance of community building. This aspect has already been foreseen during the third phase of the marketing revolution, i.e., during the branding phase, when consumers

149

Template for career-focussed education session

You may fill in this template to create your own unique session to meet the needs of your target group

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

150

You may use this sheet to describe the theoretical material you would be using during the session

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

151

For notes, ideas, observations

152

MODULE VI

IDEA POSITIONING, SALES The aim of the module is to acquaint young people with the features of positioning their ideas and value they are creating, strengthening the ability to create an effective presentation, public speech to introduce yourself and your idea, as well as gaining skills to form a commercial offer and an effective sales strategy.

153

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Presentation Yauheni Luferchyk

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Presentation To introduce the participants with the features of effective presentation and preparation for it.

(together with presentation workshop): 3-4 hours.

Paper, writing tools, projector, computers, presentation creation programs (PowerPoint, Photoshop, Illustrator, Canva).

10–20 participants.

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Each participant is asked to create a slide about himself/herself. You are encouraged to use creativity for this: the slide can be on paper, on the phone, on a computer or in any other format. After 10 minutes of preparation, each participant introduces himself/herself briefly using this slide he/she has created.

Practical tasks

Participants are divided into groups of 3–4 people. The task can also be performed by one person independently. Each group is asked to create a 10 minutes presentation on an indicated topic. The groups can choose the topics independently, or the leader can invite them to draw leaflets with pre-prepared topics and presentation tasks. The presentation should consist of a presentation and a speech. All participants must be involved in all parts of the preparation of the presentation as well as the public presentation itself. 1 hour is given for preparation. At the end of the preparation period, all groups deliver their presentations, and all other groups, together with the leader, provide feedback: identify strengths, areas for improvement and give advice for the future.

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, each participant shares what they received in person from this session and what will come in handy in the future.

Notes to the leader

During the session, it is important for the leader to present the topic in an exemplary manner, using well-designed slides, providing examples of various presentations, inviting the listeners to discuss which presentation variants are good, which are not very suitable and why?

154

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Presentation

Yauheni Luferchyk

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Public presentation always requires a lot of both physical and psychological preparation. After all, in many cases, a well-prepared presentation, correctly placed accents and qualitatively conveyed the main message of the idea can become a guarantee of success in building collaborative relationships, concluding deals or positioning oneself. Therefore, it would be important to emphasize the following points during the session: •

how to set the purpose of the presentation;

•

what the presentation structure looks like and what is its “gold standard”;

•

how to organize the content of the presentation and format the presentation.

PURPOSE OF PRESENTATION The first most important thing on which the basis of the whole presentation is based is its purpose. In order to formulate the purpose as clearly as possible, it is sufficient to answer a few questions indicated below. The structure and essence of the message which is being sent to the audience will depend on them. 1. What do listeners want to receive from this presentation? All of your presentation time (or a major portion of it) will be dedicated to satisfying your audience’s query. In order to respond to a query, it is important to know in advance to which target group the presentation is planned to be given and to clearly understand the goals of the people who came to listen to you. Once the audience is made up of investors, their query will be related to the search for a project which could justify the amount of resources invested and provide a quick financial return. And this means that during the presentation it is important to draw the listeners’ attention to the most attractive parts of the project or business model, the description of the market and its needs, emphasizing why now is the best time to implement the specific project which is being delivered. 2. What do I want to get out of this presentation myself? In answering this question, it is important for the presenter to answer to himself/herself what he/she is specifically aiming for with this presentation and what expectations he/she has for the listening audience. Presentations can be given for information purposes, but in many cases the main purpose is sales (of an idea, a project, a model, a product, etc.) For example, if a presentation is

being prepared to attract the attention of investors and receive an offer of their cooperation, the entire focus of the presentation should be on formulating persuasive arguments. After all, the most important thing will be to prove the advantage of the presented idea over others, to highlight the strengths, to demonstrate the results already achieved and the available resources to overcome the challenges. In addition, it is usually important for investors to know what social needs the proposed idea meets and what links it to the common interests. 3. What is the main idea I want to present? In answering this question, the focus shifts to a presentation in which, when the layout is clearly structured, the idea is perfectly viewed from all sides. It is important to tell the story of the idea, why it is precious to you, what components it consists of and what makes the idea unique. It is also important to briefly present the plans for the further development of the idea, describing the target customer group, the required resources, as well as to present the actions already performed and the actions planned to be performed in the near future. 4. What is the main thesis of the idea I am transmitting? This question is particularly important when little time is given for the presentation (1 to 3 minutes). Usually such a condition and a very limited period of time is given in start-up competitions. During the short presentation it is necessary to tell the problem in a very concentrated way, findings related to it, as well as to briefly introduce the developed business model in organizing the implementation of the idea: to express the main thesis, its proof, highlight strengths and possible weaknesses and solutions to potential challenges. It is evident that the purpose of the presentation determines its structure. If we try to formulate a universal set of key components, it will contain the following key questions: what? to whom? how? how effective? why now? what’s next? The general elements that could appear in the presentation as the main ones are the following: •

the purpose of the project which is being presented

•

target customer group

•

problem description

155

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Presentation Yauheni Luferchyk

•

original and innovative solutions which are being offered

•

market characteristics

•

competitors’ analysis

•

a description of the business model, highlighting its uniqueness

•

methods of implementing the idea

•

dissemination and communication solutions

•

implementation plan

•

narration of actions already taken

•

financial calculations

•

team presentation

The presentation should necessarily end with addressing the audience, inviting them to take action, because it is in this part when the listeners understand why this story was precisely dedicated to them.

THE LAYOUT OF THE PRESENTATION Many tips for a successful presentation can be narrowed down to a few essential points, which are described below. 1. Firstly, preparation for presentation is based on the collection and analysis of information. It is important to understand how realistic the theses and goals are, as well as to make sure that the language of the presentation will be clear and understandable to the audience for whom it is intended. For example, if a presentation is being prepared for a start-up staff, it would not be worthwhile to present them with information that is intended for investors, as the main highlights and arguments for these two target groups will be completely different. It is important for employees and team members to emphasize their importance and value when participating in the project, as well as the opportunities that this participation in the project opens up for them. 2. Secondly, the presentation should be prepared in advance and it should be checked how different groups of people react to it. Rehearsals can take place in front of a mirror, in front of close friends, family members or colleagues. One of the most important conditions for the success of public presentation is its consistency. It will be difficult for the audience to follow the course of thoughts if they are poorly structured and the theses, instead of complementing each other, will be conflicting and contradictory. It is also important how the presentation is delivered: whether the text is read

156

from a sheet during the presentation, whether the person improvises, or speaks from memory. The best presentations are those that have been prepared in advance but delivered live, without cribs, and the speaker, while well acquainted with the content of the presentation, does not avoid improvising, thus creating a connection with his audience. 3. Presentation slides and language must be grammatically and stylistically correct, not overloaded with complex words and specific concepts. Everything you say must be clearly understood by a person who does not have specific preparation and education in the field of the topic raised. 4. Sincerity and honesty are important when communicating with listeners. The audience doesn’t like lies or hints about veiling. This kind of concealment and evasiveness damages the reputation of the speaker. On the other hand, it is important not to disclose all available information to listeners. If the format of the presentation includes a question and answer session, it will be possible to expand your thoughts during it. However, even in this case, word counts and long responses should not be abused. 5. Special attention should be paid to time management. Each fragment of the presentation should take up approximately the same amount of time. It is important to avoid long stories and descriptions. The format of the presentation should be fully in line with the format of the space and should not exceed the time limit in any way. 6. A great strength of the presentation can become its visualization. It is usually accomplished through slides or illustrations. The tools for creating them can be varied and depend on technical skills and knowledge. You can usually see presentations created using PowerPoint, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Canva. Each of the most important thoughts, theses, arguments, and facts mentioned in the presentation should be accompanied by a separate slide, in which the abbreviated essence of the thought would be expressed visually and in text format, emphasizing several key words. The slide should by no means contain long sentences with many items that will be said exactly as they are written.

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Presentation

For notes, ideas, observations

157

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Public speech Solveiga Sama

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Public speech

The main aim of the activity is to teach youngsters how to briefly present them to potential employers; it is what is called an elevator pitch, as well as reflect on their skills and experience by writing an Employability Canva. This activity also improves self-reflection, self-confidence and self-image realization. The activity will be in two parts, in the first participants will write down their skills and experience and in the second, will practice Elevator pitch. The task is meant your youngsters around 16+ who will start first steps in applying for job and want to know how to present themselves in front of the potential employers, however also for more advanced people, who have some knowledge in job interviews- this activity will be very beneficial. By the end of the workshop, participants will gain or re-gain knowledge about their experience and skills, and also develop skills of talking about themselves and “selling” themselves to get a job.

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

2–5 hours (depends on the number of participants).

Writing tools, paper sheets.

15–20 participants.

At the beginning of the session, each participant is invited to stand in front of the entire audience and introduce himself/herself in 2–3 minutes. This free-form presentation, suggested by the session leader, is presented as an introduction to both the theoretical and practical parts of the session, in order to give each participant the opportunity to compare what will change during the session.

The whole seminar starts off with the first practical assignment, namely the “Employability Canva”. Step 1. The participants work in groups of 3–5 people. They are asked to fill in «Employability canvas» for a person in the picture. There can be several options:

Practical tasks

•

famous person (for filling in the canvas the group has to search for facts from his/her life in the internet); the participants choose some person for their group themselves (it can be a famous person or one of the people they know locally);

•

some imaginary person (the participants fill in the canvas with imaginary facts).

The groups present their results to all the other participants. Step 2. Each participant fills in the «Employability canvas» for himself/herself individually. They have to try to remember their previous experiences, competences, interests. Step 3. Speed dating. Each participant receives a «clock face» and agrees on several meetings with other persons (number of meetings depends on how much time you have at your disposal, in general in can be 3–4 meetings).

158

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Public speech

Solveiga Sama

The facilitator tells what time it is (09.00, 15.00, etc.) and the pairs meet and discuss what they have written for themselves in the canvas. During the discussion they try to help each other, ask questions and add some facts that could be initially forgotten. NB! It is up to each participant to decide if they want to discuss the part «Dreams for future occupation», because it can be too personal. Step 4. Each participant takes some minutes to add something to their canvas and write down any ideas which appeared during the previous activity. Step 5. Reflection. Discussion in a common circle. Practical tasks

Next task is to discuss elevator pitch. Presenter discusses on the white board what is an elevator pitch with the group. Then participants are put in groups of 4 and everyone has 5 minutes to prepare an elevator pitch, using all information written on the Employability canva. After 5 minutes, in the groups, each participant does the elevator pitch and after each pitch other participants give a constructive feedback on the pitch. After everyone in the group have done the pitch, each group chooses the best pitcher and this person goes in the front of the people and does the pitch again. All participants again give the constructive feedback. Afterwards, participants by choice are asked to be filmed for the elevator pitch. Person is filmed with a phone camera, which can be instantly put on the projector and again showed on the screen. All participants discuss the body language aspects and give constructive feedback.

Questions for participants: End of session reflection methods

What did you learn about yourself during the activity? What was the hardest part of today’s workshop? What was the easiest part of the today’s workshop? Do you feel now more comfortable about speaking up about yourself?

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Elevator pitch is a professional introduction where one quickly summarizes his/her professional experience and sets a goal for the person to whom it is addressed, in this case a potential employer. It is maximum 1 minute long, however it can be also 20–30 seconds long. The name for the pitch came from the method of talking to a potential employer in an elevator, as long as the elevator goes up or down, the candidate has to speak out. There are several things which should be done in an elevator pitch: •

The pitch should be brief, approximately 30–60 seconds. It should not contain all life-story, it has to be brief and contain only the most important information;

•

The body language has to be persuasive, the message has to be positive and confident, thus smiling is very needed;

•

Elevator pitch should definitely include skills, qualifications and experience. Examples are also great, but those should be short and concise. Potential employee should focus on the value given to the potential company, the same as in the cover letter;

•

The best way how to have a perfect pitch is to practice it many, many times. It can be done in front of friends, family, animals and toys. Also it can be done in front of the mirror, in order to see the body gestures;

159

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Public speech Solveiga Sama

•

Body gestures have to be open, hands can articulate the words, but they cannot be too dynamic. Never ever arms should be crossed, it is not a positive attitude;

•

Some of goals can be mentioned. It will show the determination and result-orientation. Perhaps nothing very specific, but goals related to the aim of the pitch could be stated. For example, “I would like to get started in the IT industry, such as working as a tester”.

Things which should not be said or done during an elevator pitch: •

•

Even though elevator pitch should be short, talking fast will not be a solution how to put into one minute a vast of information. The information should be told clearly and without any heist; Pitch should be not exaggerated. Yes, information should be seen as very valuable and something extraordinary, but it should be also down-to-earth and realistic.

Body language of the elevator pitch. Research shows that around 50-70% of the non-verbal communication comes from the body, thus using person’s body effectively and with a right purpose is extremely essential. Here are things in the body, the potential employee must pay attention to when addressing a pitch: •

Facial expression. The facial expression should be suited to the topic and not too exaggerated. Smiling and acting positive is needed, however exaggeration and constant smiling is definitely not needed. Instead, person should be calm and collected, and reflect the topic into the facial expression, namely tailor to it;

•

Body positioning. It is not suggested to in any way cross any body parts, for example, arms, legs, it makes the person less confident. It is also not suggested to fiddle with the hair, looking away when talking, wave hands and gestures excessively. Instead, person should use a power pose, namely be relaxed, legs apart, body open and have palms facing upwards when talking and gesturing.

•

Lastly – practice, practice, practice.

Employability canva is a tool where participants will be asked to insert their information, similar to the CV and use it for the elevator pitch. There are 8 categories, which should be explained by the presenter: 1. Volunteering experience - any experience where the person did not get paid, it can be working in an animal shelter, helping at the youth centre, helping

160

with organizing some events and so on. Especially for youngsters it is important to stress that any experience, paid or not paid, is an experience, which should be put in an elevator pitch and also on the CV. 2. Employments – positions, where the person was employed and got paid. 3. Entrepreneurship and freelance – are creative self-employed tasks and short-term tasks, which were done independently by the person, such as managing own cafe or translating occasional articles for someone. 4. Internship – paid or unpaid short-term position somewhere, usually as a part of studies. 5. Languages – knowledge of the languages, should be noted with European language system, namely A1-C2. It is very advisable to put languages, which a person knows A1. 6. Hobbies – few interesting hobbies, perhaps employer will have something in common with the employee. 7. Special skills – some special interests or skills, such as Driving licence, scuba diving certificate, fastreading skill and others. 8. Dreams for future profession – here a goal of the pitch or CV should be stated, what the person wants to achieve.

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Public speech

For notes, ideas, observations

161

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Commercial offer Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

162

Commercial offer To provide participants with information on the basic rules of commercial offer development, relevant to both commercial, individual and social activities.

2–3 hours.

Paper, writing tools, projector, computers, presentation creation programs (PowerPoint, Photoshop, Illustrator, Canva).

10–20 participants.

Each participant is invited to choose one item he/she has with him/her that he/she considers to be vital and to think about how to present that item in such a way that all listeners would like to acquire it. A few minutes are given to reflections. Then each participant introduces himself/herself and presents the chosen item to the whole group in 2–3 minutes.

Practical tasks

Participants are divided into groups of 3–4 people. The task can also be performed by one person independently. Each group is asked to create a commercial offer that represents the specified service or goods. The groups can choose services or goods independently, or the session leader can invite them to draw lots by picking slips of papers with pre-prepared described services or goods and presentation tasks. 1 hour is given for preparation of the commercial offer (content and graphic design). At the end of the preparation period, all groups present their commercial offers, and all other groups, together with the leader, provide feedback: identify strengths, areas for improvement and give advice for the future.

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, each participant shares what they received in person from this session and what will come in handy in the future.

Notes to the leader

During the presentation of the theoretical part, it is worth showing and presenting several different variants of commercial offers and to devote time and space to discussions about the strengths and weaknesses of the presented examples.

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Commercial offer

Gintarė Joteikaitė

THEORETICAL INFORMATION A commercial offer is a document that presents goods or services in a way that encourages a potential client to purchase them. This document can contain both a simple list with a range and specific prices, as well as a more detailed, more creative description of the forms, where specific prices are not indicated. “Cold” commercial offer is a commercial offer that is sent in bulk to the contacts specified in the database of potential customers. Often these types of emails are called spam. “Hot” commercial offer is a commercial offer that is prepared and sent to a specific potential client whose needs are clearer. This is often the second commercial offer (in the second stage of negotiations), which is sent to the potential client after he/she has read the basic commercial offer and expressed his/her unique needs.

CONTENT OF THE COMMERCIAL OFFER The question often arises as to how a commercial offer differs from a regular presentation. The purpose of the presentation is to introduce to the organization, its activities, team and the benefits of possible cooperation. The commercial offer is directly aimed at obtaining a financial benefit, i.e. its main purpose is to huckster and sell a good or service. In this way, a commercial offer becomes one of the most important elements in ensuring the formation of the customer base of a legal or natural person and the resulting financial well-being. The content of a commercial offer has a certain etiquette that everyone who creates it is invited to follow: 1. An action which a potential client is invited to perform should be as open as possible. In other words, it could be considered as an incompleteness of a commercial offer. If the commercial offer that is being sent will be completely closed, i.e. after getting acquainted with it, the client will know exactly the prices and frames of the offered services, goods or services will be purchased only by a small percentage of clients who are certain about their needs. Meanwhile, by providing the opportunity to ask questions, to ask for clarification and to express specific needs, the client will be able to ask questions, express his/her needs and establish contact with service staff. 2. Initial address. A commercial offer should not be about instructing or inducing to take a certain action, but rather about an issue that a potential

customer would think about. One of the biggest mistakes sellers make is trying to fit the entire offer into the beginning of the commercial offer letter (or into the subject of the letter), including the price of the product or service, the discount offered, etc. In this case, the customer has no other choice but to decide immediately whether to buy or not. In the case where the subject of the letter and the beginning of the letter contain an abstract thought or topic (for example, “How to save 30% of your day time?”, “Have you already taken care of cooling your home during the summer season?”, “5 facts you still didn’t know about changed Facebook algorithms”) the client receives an impulse to open the letter and take a detailed look at the useful information it contains and to think about the raised problem in the context of his/her life. 3. Unique approach. An abstract commercial offer for all potential customers at once is not as effective as a commercial offer for at least somewhat segmented target groups. In this case, the subject of the letter could be: “An urgent message for all business leaders” or “Every future mommy must know.” When opening a letter, a potential customer should see a problematic issue raised in one sentence and clearly identified, for example: “40% of their working time employees spend browsing social networks”. In this way, a relevant topic and a problem is raised, which sells the commercial offer itself and the interest in getting to know it thoroughly. 4. Clearly structured text and attractive graphic design. A commercial offer can be delivered in various formats: presentation format, e-mail format, video format, website format. Whatever format is chosen, the information and text in it should not be long, monotonous or reminiscent of a scientific article. The offer should be presented in an attractive, structured way, highlighting multiple images, visual material, and not taking more than 3–5 minutes for in-depth acquaintance. 5. Trust. The commercial offer should include information that would motivate the client to trust the company or personality and the services or goods provided by this legal or natural person. Confidence is built by providing information about acquired education, list of already available clients, reviews, achievements, accomplishments, nominations, statistics, specific numbers indicating the number of completed deals.

163

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Commercial offer Gintarė Joteikaitė

6. Guarantees. One of the most important parts of the offer is to clearly describe what benefits the client will receive after purchasing the product or service. This section describes factors such as: time saved, improvement in quality of life or health, overcoming a challenge, finances saved, and other important factors. 7. Contacts and active action buttons are specified. This is probably the most important part of a commercial offer, which is often not given enough attention. Since the main purpose of the letter is to gain new customers, it is worth doing your best to make it as easy and secure as possible for the client to contact you, to pay for services, and the like. It has been calculated that a person makes a decision to purchase a product or service within three seconds. During these three seconds, the physiological parameters of the user rise drastically, an explosion of adrenaline occurs in the blood, which lasts for a few more seconds, and then the indicators return to their initial states. So it is important to integrate all the necessary tools into the commercial offer to help the client complete the purchasing process quickly and easily.

COMMERCIAL OFFER PRICING Special attention should be paid to bids in the commercial offer. When sending “cold” commercial offers, most experts recommend not providing information on specific prices, but rather encouraging potential clients to fill in a registration form, based on which the responsible employee would contact the client and provide all the necessary information. However, in some cases, already in the first or second sales step, potential clients are introduced to a specific commercial offer, in which specific prices for goods or services are already indicated. In any case, it is recommended to create as flexible conditions as possible for customers to purchase goods or services on favourable terms. The flexibility aspect of a commercial proposal is usually taken into account by introducing a strategy of three options. This means that the client is provided with three service packages which contain three different volume packages and the prices assigned to those packages. Structurally, it looks something like this: This includes: Package no. 1

Service 1

Price: EUR 199

Service 2 Service 3

164

This includes: Package no. 2 Price: EUR 399

Service 1 Service 2 Service 3 Service 4 This includes: Service 1

Package no. 3 Price: EUR 699

Service 2 Service 3 Service 4 Service 5 Service 6

In this way, the client can self-assess his/her financial capabilities and psychologically it will be easier for him/ her to make a decision on purchasing a service package that suits him/her, without being limited to just one specific amount.

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Commercial offer

For notes, ideas, observations

165

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Sales Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

Sales To develop young people‘s effective sales skills, to help them see the aspect of the sales process in every life situation, and also to introduce them the rules of commercial sales.

2–4 hours.

Writing tools, paper sheets, paper clips

10–25 participants Participants are grouped in pairs. Each group of two people is given the task of communicating for 10 minutes and during that time refining the greatest needs of both people as well as the challenges that arise in their daily lives. At the end of the task time, each pair introduces themselves to a group of all participants. The leader emphasizes that this task perfectly introduced the topic of the session itself and one of the key parts of the selling process – the practice how to examine the client. Participants are divided into groups of 3–4 people. Each group is given a paper clip and participants are invited to prepare to spend 1 hour on the street. Groups of participants are invited to exchange the given paperclip for as useful thing as possible on the street. Then exchange the new acquired thing for an even more valuable one. In this way, participants have to exchange items with passers-by for the entire hour devoted to the task. Participants are invited to use all the knowledge acquired during the theoretical part. For the safety of the participants, the leader should write down the telephone numbers of all participants so that he/she could keep in touch with them.

End of session reflection methods

Notes to the leader

166

When returning after the task and one hour spent on the street, all groups of participants put all their collected items on one table. Each group shares their impressions about performance of the task. After the general group impressions, each participant shares what skills they strengthened during the session and what they learned during it.

In order to achieve maximum effectiveness, it is also recommended to conduct sessions on the topics covered in this module about presentation and commercial offer.

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Sales

Gintarė Joteikaitė

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Sales are an integral part of the modern world and life. Whatever activity a person takes, he/she in one way or another faces the need to offer his/her goods, services, or simply his/her acquired skills and knowledge. The theoretical part of this activity provides information related to direct commercial sales. However, this information is also applicable and relevant to other types of individual self-expression. The commercial sales model can be applied and work well for a young person also when looking for a job.

RULES FOR EFFECTIVE SALES: Popular author, consultant and lecturer Brian Tracy highlights a few key rules which should be followed in order to develop an effective selling strategy: 1. Examine and understand customer needs well. One of the biggest mistakes an inexperienced salesperson can make is desperately trying to sell without a clear understanding and vision of what specific needs a potential customer has and what challenges they face in their daily lives. An experienced salesperson knows that the customer buys what confidently solves his biggest problems and pains. Therefore, a good salesperson should not start from a detailed technical presentation of the offer, but from the interest in the potential client and the detection of his/her needs. 2. Build a relationship based on trust with potential clients. People are willing to buy goods and services from those they know well and feel safe next to. Therefore, the process of sales and offers should not turn into a tense presentation which looks more like a recruitment process than a naturally evolving conversation. Under no circumstances should a salesperson act as if his/her life depended on an ongoing conversation and the potential client should not be seen only as a source of money. During the conversation, it is important to create a relaxed, free atmosphere where one can laugh, talk about neutral topics, as well as share information and advice in a friendly way, and the service offer is a more generalising clarification of emerging topics and client needs. It is important to give the customer the opportunity to get to know you better as a person, then the customer will gain more trust and will be more likely to trust you. 3. Conduct a thorough analysis of the potential client before negotiations. A more detailed analysis of the

potential client’s work specifics, activity structure and work volumes will provide an opportunity to better understand the client’s needs. The client will also appreciate the fact (if he notices it) that he/she does not need to tell in detail and describe certain facts that the seller has already figured out independently and adapted to the context of the offer. 4. Ask questions and study the client. The best negotiation session is one in which the potential client speaks approximately 70–80% of the time, answering the salesperson’s questions and expressing his/her needs. And only the remaining 20–30% of the time the seller himself/herself speaks, summarizing the client’s needs and making offers that meet them. The essential secret of this rule is that, in fact, all people like to talk about themselves the most and and appreciate the most those interlocutors who are attentive listeners. After being sincerely listened to, such clients will gladly choose to continue cooperating with a person who is attentive to them. 5. The main purpose should not be to sell, but to help. It is also important to understand that a potential client chooses not to buy a specific service or product, but a solution to a specific problem he/ she has that would facilitate daily processes. Therefore, during the conversation, it is necessary to emphasize the improved result that the client will have after purchasing certain goods or services, and not the technical values of the offered goods or services.

SALES STAGES: 1. MAKING CONTACT is the first stage of sales, where it is important to establish a relationship based on trust and security, in which the client would feel safe and interested. 2. EXPLORATION. At this stage, the seller explores the needs of the potential client that are related to the product or service he/she offers. It is important to ask questions about how this problem is already being addressed. It is also important to ask about the criteria for the client’s choices, about his/her attitude, about what is important to him/her, the budget that can be allocated, and so on. 3. PRESENTATION. After clarifying all the issues of

167

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Sales Gintarė Joteikaitė

concern, the seller undertakes to present the services or goods, directly relating all the information to the problems, challenges and visions expressed by the client. 4. OBJECTIONS. The better the steps of the sales process mentioned above were performed (establishing a contact, exploration, presentation), the less objections should arise, although they are also a natural part of the sales process. The client may hesitate about the need for certain product or service, its price, the purchase period. One of the most important rules in the objections phase is that the seller must not in any way confront the client but, on the contrary, establish a merger relationship with him/her. 5. A TRANSACTION is the last stage that closes the sales cycle. A transaction is considered completed when the client pays for the services, goods or makes an initial payment contribution.

FEATURES OF “COLD” SALES The concepts of “cold commercial offer” and “hot commercial offer” were mentioned in the theoretical part of the session about the commercial offer. Similarly, there is the concept of “cold” sales, which refers to sales cycles which have been launched by getting to know potential clients who are not yet familiar with the product or service being offered. Such sales are usually made through large potential customer bases. Sales can be made using several forms of communication: sending an email, calling and meeting live. It is known and taken for granted that implementing sales during a phone call is more efficient than by sending an email, and implementing sales during a live meeting is more efficient than during a phone call. Therefore, in the most effective sales strategies one aims to include all three forms of communication with customers. In order to streamline “cold” sales processes, prethought-out sales scripts are integrated into them – these are question-and-answer algorithms that are used in specific situations, no matter how the conversation with a potential customer develops.

For notes, ideas, observations

168

MODULE: Idea positioning, sales SUBJECT TITLE: Sales

For notes, ideas, observations

169

Template for career-focussed education session

You may fill in this template to create your own unique session to meet the needs of your target group

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

170

You may use this sheet to describe the theoretical material you would be using during the session

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

171

For notes, ideas, observations

172

MODULE VII

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION The aim of the module is to acquaint participants with the elements of effective business communication in several different aspects: the aspect of shaping the concept of a personal brand, the aspect of event organization and the aspect of selling texts.

173

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part I. The first steps in creating your own personal brand Tania Zhydkova

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Personal brand Part I. The first steps in creating your own personal brand To provide participants with information about how to create personality image in various situations and means of communication.

2–4 hours.

Writing tools, chairs, projector.

10–20 participants.

At the beginning of the session, participants are invited to stand up freely and distribute in space. Light, relaxing, neutral music is then turned on (selected by the leader) and participants are invited to imagine that they are in a conference where their goal is to make as much contacts with others as possible and to make them take an interest in you. Participants are invited to freely exchange contacts, talk about themselves and be interested in interlocutors. Participants are also notified that the task ends when the music stops playing. 15 minutes are given to complete the task. After that, all participants sit in a circle and share their impressions. How did you manage to introduce yourself? What did you learn about the interlocutors? Which interlocutors were the most memorable?

The Dilts Pyramid of Neurological Levels Each participant is invited to describe the following points individually: 1. ENVIRONMENT. What environment surrounds me and how do others see it? 2. BEHAVIOUR. How do I behave and how do I transmit it to others? How do others see this? Practical tasks

3. SKILLS. What capabilities do those around me notice? How do I present it? 4. VALUES AND BELIEFS. What are my values and beliefs and how do I transmit them to the environment? 5. IDENTITY. What personality do those around me see in me? 6. VISION. How do those around me identify my mission?

Vision Identity Beliefs Values Skills

Behaviour

Environment

This task is based on Dilts’ pyramid of neurological levels – a concept that helps to understand human behaviour and actions at different levels and perspectives.

174

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part I. The first steps in creating your own personal brand

Tania Zhydkova

End of session reflection methods

At the end of the session, the task that was completed at the beginning of the session is repeated: participants are invited to stand up freely and distribute in space. Light, relaxing, neutral music is then turned on (selected by the leader) and participants are invited to imagine that they are in a conference where their goal is to make as much contacts with others as possible and to make them take an interest in you. Participants are invited to freely exchange contacts, talk about themselves and be interested in interlocutors. Participants are also notified that the task ends when the music stops playing. 15 minutes are given to complete the task. After that, all participants sit in a circle and share their impressions. How did you manage to introduce yourself? What did you learn about the interlocutors? Which interlocutors were the most memorable? How did the presentations at the beginning of the session differ from the presentations at the end of the session?

THEORETICAL INFORMATION WHAT IS A PERSONAL BRAND AND WHO NEEDS IT? The personality’s brand existed many years ago, even when marketing specialists have not yet used this concept. In ancient Greece, for example, it was believed that if the author’s name was not mentioned on the vase, that vase was not valuable. Everyone can create their own personal brand. In America, children learn to bravely manifest themselves while they are still in kindergarten and European culture, meanwhile, still teaches that it is necessary to live quietly, still and drawing no one’s attention to yourself. Your personality’s brand is what you talk about, how often you talk about it, and also what those around you talk about you. The most difficult part is managing the opinions of those around you, but it largely depends directly on how the person himself/herself presents himself/herself to the environment. The hardest part is managing the opinions of those around you, but it largely depends directly on how the person himself/herself presents himself/herself to the environment. If you have decided what your positioning is but keep it a secret, you have no self-positioning. You must talk about your professionalism. You need to talk about what you like, what are your priorities, where and for what purpose you take action, what you do and how you do it, where and in what area you are valuable, but do it all within the framework of your self-positioning vision. If you’ve positioned yourself as a journalist and suddenly, after three months of training, you’ve announced that you’re a designer, it is unlikely that your audience will be able to adapt so quickly and shift their focus. There are many examples of positioning errors in business history. For example, the Colgate company,

which decided to launch a line of nutrition products using the same brand, but this project was very unsuccessful. When creating a personal brand, all the same rules apply as when creating business brands. The first question: who needs it? Successful people are those who understand and imagine very clearly where they are moving and what they want to achieve. Brands persist for a long time. The further your planned horizon is, the more accurately you will imagine where you want to see yourself in a year, in three or in ten years time, and the easier it will be to create a personal brand. The longer the distances of pursuit of your goals, the easier it will be for you to build the trust of your audience. A magic bullet for developing a personal brand: Do what you want to do and not do what you don’t want to do. Only then will it be easy for you to keep talking about your actions and only then will it not drain you but on the contrary will inspire and strengthen you. In answering the question “Why do I need a personal brand?” you have to imagine what will happen when while working hard you will gather an audience of people who will not be indifferent to your work. These people will appreciate your activities and values, which will make the process of finding people and opportunities ten and hundred times easier, will create opportunities to speak out loud about world events and to publish social ideas. Keep in mind that a personal brand is a regular longterm game that will require you to learn to “pedal” continuously for two to three years. However, this is an investment in yourself and it will definitely pay off. After

175

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part I. The first steps in creating your own personal brand Tania Zhydkova

all, in the process, this activity gives you the loyalty of the people who are around you. With a strong personal brand, you can create a wide variety of activities that will be associated with you. These activities will surely have the best results because people will trust you. And what matters is not what project you created, but that this project was created by you.

3. Public communication. These are all your public performances, lectures, comments.

The second question: who am I in general?

Everyone sees about 100 meters of content per day. If the content one creates is vague and uninteresting, the followers just back down. Another issue that is important to focus on is the casing, the packaging of the product itself. It’s important to fulfil what you’re talking about. And you must answer the question “What makes you different?” or “Why do customers have to buy from you?”

The modern world is full of labels and when people find out about you, they are already attributing to you some of their beliefs or prejudices. The first big mistake is when people are afraid to answer the question “Who am I?”. For example, I am a volunteer for a youth organization and a public relations manager for social projects – I was introduced like this before an interview, and then during the interview itself I add: “By the way, I also create handmade pillows. If you need them, you can feel free to contact me”. Such situations confuse people, do not help build trust, create a patchwork of facts in their minds, and ultimately make it unlikely that people will remember anything. People don’t have time to interpret who you are and if they don’t understand your life emotional story (which needs to be related to your activities at the moment), you will simply lose them. The main rule of communication: People hear what is being said to them and do not hear what is not being said to them. A personal brand is all that people think of you and what they say about you when you leave the room. A strong and full-fledged brand is when a large number of people talk about you and they more-or-less say the same things. A feature of mass consciousness: one does not have time to interpret the nuances. One cannot be an expert in all categories, but he/she must make a clear decision everywhere. Therefore, when making a decision, a person relies on a simple principle: one can trust what is widely known. What does a personal brand consist of? 1. External image. The most important thing is to know for sure that you feel confident in the image you have created. 2. Direct contacts. For some reason, most forget about direct communication. How many people surround you? 10? 100? And on social networks – thousands? Be that as it may, it’s important to remember that those 10 or 100 people in your immediate environment can either greatly enhance or greatly weaken your personal brand.

176

4. Surroundings. This is your circle of like-minded people. 5. Online communication. That’s all you communicate on your social networks.

After answering the question “Who am I?” you should also come up with an answer to the question of those around you “Why do I have to buy precisely from you?”. And here many people start to feel greed like in an anecdote about a monkey who at the same time wanted to be beautiful and intelligent, fun, reliable and innovative. But in reality this is not the case. You need to answer yourself the following question very clearly: “What activities and projects am I ready to give up? What am I focusing on? What is my superpower?” Brand and product are like two legs In order to move forward, you need to move your legs one after the other, first the right one, then the left one, then the right one again, and the left one again. The right leg is a product. We develop the product (in this case, expertise and experience) and then strengthen the brand (in this case, how we talk about ourselves, how we present our expertise), then we focus again on the quality of the product, and then again on how we position it and ourselves. In this way, these two parts must move forward and develop simultaneously. A brand cannot be successful if the product is not of good quality – if you and your products do not develop. Due to the created image deception, which will not be based on truth, eventually you will be severely punished. However, a somewhat exaggerated and strongly emphasized experience and a high level which you will present to the environment in your personal brand presentation can help you develop and form a clear direction. Marketing is like a bicycle. For a brand to develop, you need to constantly pedal. If you stop pedalling, it is likely that there will be a movement out of inertia for some time, but eventually the bike will stop. It cannot be said that “I made business cards, a pen with my name on it, I also wrote an article for some magazine, presenting there myself as an expert, and this means I’ve created a brand for my personality”. All this is just a small step.

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part I. The first steps in creating your own personal brand

Tania Zhydkova

If you have decided to develop your personal brand, you have to constantly “feed” it in small and purposeful communication steps in order to get as many people as possible to know about you.

HOW TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE NOT YET PREPARED FOR PUBLICITY We have never had as many opportunities as we do now. Never. However, no one has become happier since then, and on the contrary, we all feel very lost. The world is going through two major crises: a crisis of attention and a crisis of confidence. We only have three seconds to capture attention – it’s nothing. We do not trust anyone because the world is overcrowded with fake knowledge and fake people. After all, so many people you’re trying to resemble, turn out to be fake. Another crisis – crises of expertise. Every smartphone holder wants to be a star. Every Instagram account owner wants to be an influencer. We stopped thinking about real life and began to live the lives of pseudo-successful people that they demonstrate on social networks. These people teach us how to live by displaying their vivid life stories. The main disease of the modern world is depression. Why do people get it? “I am not good enough for this world. I am not progressive enough, not smart enough, not fast enough, things are not going well enough for me at work, in the family or in relationships with others. Dear ones, please relax. Everything with you in this world is fine. The real world is coming back. People are tired of virtuality and want live communication, real, imperfect, perhaps, less successful people with whom they would sincerely like to have a good time. You are probably precisely that kind of person and that is amazing. The main feature of modern communication is that we live in an era of transparent walls. This is an era of live mode. You could say: but after all, I haven’t achieved anything yet so I could talk about myself, but in three years I will create something significant and then I will start talking about it out loud. However, nowadays, the process itself is more important to people than the result. Nowadays, we have a lot of opportunities to tell about what we create and share the fruits of our labour, but people trust you more when they see for themselves the process of how you develop your product. That is why the most popular restaurants now have open kitchens – customers want to see how food is prepared. They want to see how the product is formed. They want to see how your personality and expertise develop. However, you are not yet prepared for publicity if you: 1. You are not yet ready to invest in your professionalism,

because it is hard daily work when continuously learning and improving. 2. You are not prepared to take personal responsibility for what you create. 3. You are not prepared neither for attention nor criticism. It’s easier for you to stay in the background. All of this shows that the time has not yet come for you to go public. Forgive yourself for feeling unprepared yet. Accept the fact you have nothing to say. Everything is fine with that. Accept that and stay in silence.

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS WHICH CAN BE USED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PERSONAL BRAND Online channels: 1. Social networks – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedln, Youtube, TikTok… 2. Send your description to various publications and offer your comments as an expert in a particular field. 3. Suggest to publication editors to create your own expert articles section. 4. Comprehensive and useful comments in publications on relevant topics with your references. 5. Offer yourself as a speaker at the conference. It is very important to be able to talk about yourself in the offline world as well – to introduce yourself to new acquaintances so that you will be remembered. Verbal communication of your roles: 1. Greeting. Say your name loud and clear, pause before and after saying the name so that the listener could focus and take note of the information being said. Remembering people’s names is hard. To make people remember you, say your name and surname clearly, loudly, and slowly. 2. Basic information about the work and the project. 3. 3–4 facts about achievements. These are short, relevant descriptions of yourself or the organization that build trust in you as an interesting interlocutor and person (e.g., “We work with 200 foster homes across the country”, “I wrote a book about teenagers facing greater challenges”, our start-up was included in the list of the most innovative start-ups last year, etc.). 4. Mission and purpose. In order to be remembered, you need to be able to evoke emotion. Tell us about your mission, about the mission of your organization, tell us what you believe, what inspires you.

177

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part I. The first steps in creating your own personal brand Tania Zhydkova

At the end of the conversation, don’t forget to discuss the next steps, how will you communicate with new acquaintances. Add each other to your friends lists right now during the event. It’s better than just giving your business card that will get lost in the bag later. These are the first aspects that are important to know when developing a personal brand. Act, experiment, express yourself, create your personal world around you. Most importantly, always remember that a personal

brand is by no means the choice of the right mask. First of all, you need to feel comfortable when being in the image you are creating. After all, why are we doing all this? We all have one main goal – to become happy people. If you are a closed person, if you find it difficult to start talking about yourself, if you need to force yourself to do so, you have to answer yourself honestly: “Do I need it at all?”

For notes, ideas, observations

178

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part I. The first steps in creating your own personal brand

For notes, ideas, observations

179

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part II: 6 steps in creating your own personal brand Tania Zhydkova

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Personal brand Part II: 6 steps in creating your own personal brand Provide participants with information on the steps about the steps of formation of personality‘s image and personal brand.

2–3 hours.

Computers, tablets or smartphones, projectors, chairs, writing tools.

10–20 participants

At the beginning of the session, participants are divided into groups of 2–3 people. Each participant is invited to choose one personality he/she follows on social networks and and tell other participants in the group about this personality in detail by answering the following questions: Acquaintance/ team building methods

•

What fascinates you about this personality?

•

What is this personality’s lifestyle?

•

How does this personality position himself/herself?

•

How does this personality make money?

•

What makes this personality different from others?

•

What is the life story of this personality?

Participants are invited to divide into the same groups in which they completed the first task, only this time to analyse each personality, taking into account the six steps of personality’s brand formation presented in the theoretical part. Participants can complete the task individually, in consultation with other participants from time to time, or come up with a way to complete the task in a team. Task of Step 1. For what purpose does the chosen personality develop his/her personal brand and publicize information about himself/herself? What is the meaning of these actions from the perspective of this personality? Practical tasks

Task of Step 2. What are the key social roles positioned in a personal brand strategy? What are the archetypes according to Carl Jung? Task of Step 3. Analyse the soul of the brand of the chosen personality. What is the brand’s positioned mission and values, beliefs and mantra, experience, legend, emotions, competencies and uniqueness? Task of Step 4. What is the customer segments of the brand’s customers? Task of Step 5. What information about personality is found in search engines? Task of Step 6. What idea and presentation is the personality constantly repeating? Participants have 60 minutes to complete the task.

180

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part II: 6 steps in creating your own personal brand

Tania Zhydkova

End of session reflection methods

After completing the practical task, each participant presents his/her personality analysed according to six steps to the whole group of participants. Each participant also shares what he/she learned during the session and how he/she intend to apply it in his/her daily routine.

Notes to the leader

There may also be cases where participants are interested in creating and developing their own personal brand (especially if they are older young people). In this case, instead of analysing the other personality’s six brand formation steps, you can suggest focusing on building and analysing your own personal brand.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION In the first session, we’ve learned to understand what a personal brand is, what its purpose is, and what tools can be used to create and position a personal brand. And in this session, we will focus on specific steps which are important to consider and perform when forming communication with your target group.

STEP 1. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHO NEEDS IT ALL. The very first question you need to ask yourself when starting to develop a personal branding strategy is this: “For what purpose am I doing this?” In answering this question, it is important to understand the specific added value and tangible benefits of the personal brand that is being developed. There can be various benefits: a strong associative relationship with the organization is established, successfully developed charity project, greater attention to yourself as a specialist and/or consultant, coach, etc. There is no point in creating a personal brand just because everyone does that. After all, this process, when implementing it consciously and with the necessary dedication, takes a lot of resources – time, effort, finances, and so on. If you don’t clearly understand what it means to create and implement a personal brand strategy, you can simply burn out very quickly.

STEP 2. DEFINE YOUR SOCIAL ROLES. So, after understanding what it means to build your personal brand, you can move on. In the second step, it is important to define the social roles that will be needed. For example, there are good marketing, sales, and other professionals. But certainly not everyone has

developed a personal brand. There are others – who are distinguished by their particular characteristics, which is unique to this particular personality and thus attracts others. For example, a runner-an investor. So when creating an interesting story about yourself and engaging others in a personality’s life, it is important to single out social roles. Roles can be such as: an expert is what others pay you for and personality is what sets you apart from others: hobbies, interests, lifestyle. A few questions about yourself In order to single out certain social roles you are positioning, you should answer a few questions that will demonstrate what you really like, whether you will be able to talk about it at conferences, meetings, events, etc. •

The questions would be the following:

•

What do you like to do?

•

What are people willing to pay you for?

•

What is the scope of your personal story?

•

Are there people in your environment who would support you?

•

Do you use all the resources when developing your brand (social networks, new platforms, communication skills, etc.)?

•

Does your image meet the needs of a personal brand?

•

What are several main key individual roles of your personality (e.g., specialist, athlete, dancer, friend, sister, mother, etc.)?

•

How do you cope with your current roles?

181

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part II: 6 steps in creating your own personal brand Tania Zhydkova

•

How ready are you to constantly “pedal” in these roles?

Typically, approximately 3–4 roles are named at this stage. The importance and relevance of each of these roles in your life on a scale from 0 to 10 should be further assessed. It happens that a role can score a lot of points, but at the same time you may realize that you cannot talk much about that role. Then it is important to honestly answer to yourself why one or the other role is not suitable for active personal brand development

STEP 3. ANALYSE THE SOUL OF THE BRAND. The foundation of a personal brand is trueness. Only on the basis of trueness can everything else be built. From the very beginning, it is important to understand the mission and values, then the beliefs and mantra, and finally the experience, legend, emotions, competencies, and uniqueness. Usually people tend to start from the end, i.e. they seek to single out their uniqueness, the target group, but forget to touch on the basic elements and foundation of branding. Values and mission. What do you do? How do you do that? What do you believe? Example: Alexander Morozov seeks to create opportunities. What is he doing? He created the youth organization Young Folks in Latvia, where every young person can find an activity that reflects his/her needs. He believes that young people will not go the usual way and will discover their true selves only if they learn to make conscious choices by trial and error. How this is reflected in his work: he has retired from a high, well-paid job to create a youth organization, attracts young people, develops international projects and opportunities for young people who do not work or study anywhere and is always open to communication with teenagers and young people. Brand’s mission. What you create is not for yourself but for others. What will you leave after you? What do you create and give to the world? Beliefs and position. People come to find out what you think on one issue or another. Often people do not express their position because they are afraid of not being accepted. Indeed, indifference is the main enemy of a personal brand. If you don’t have a single hater, you are a very strange brand. It is likely that in this case you do not even have a brand. It is important to accept the fact that people may agree or may not agree with your position. Either way, people will remember you. When you become a known person, there will always be someone who will say “what an idiot, he/she made

182

something public again”. And let such people be. Most importantly, you know for yourself to whom you do what you do. There are people who are yours, and there are people who are not yours. These people who don’t understand you are simply not close to you. Release such people, let them live in their world, and you live in your own. It is normal. When you travel by planes, you will occasionally encounter turbulences. When you travel by ships, you will occasionally encounter with a large swell. It is also the case with publicity, when you share your life, achievements and opinions in public, you will encounter with haters from time to time. Example. Colin Kaepernick is a former American footballer who did not stand up during the performance of the US national anthem, thus expressing protest against the brutal treatment of blacks by police officers. He was fired and everyone he worked with terminated contracts with him. The only company, which continued its cooperation with Colin Kaepernick was Nike. And what’s more, Nike made Colin Kaepernick its new main face precisely because he had his own clear position. In the end, he won. See what the brand did a year after this scandal. This is a very good example of how one person and one company can change the world without fear of haters. Video about this Nike story: https://youtu.be/j93zH0p5r-0 Prepare your clear position on all key topics that can become risk points, as well as all the most important topics in your country and the world. Feminism, LGBT, climate change, wars… By being in a public space, you can be sure that in one way or another you will get questions on all of these topics and if you don’t have a clear answer, you can get lost in such situations. Mantra. These are phrases you keep repeating until everyone remembers you. Until people 100% remember who you are, what you do, and what you aim for. Examples. Disney – “Fun for the whole family”. They repeat it constantly. This brand has movies for the whole family and tickets for the whole family to Disneyland. Nike – “Just do it”. Legend of a brand. How did you become who you are? How did you survive the defeats, how did you doubt yourself? What people have influenced you the most? Finally, how did you win? If there have been only victories and no defeats in your life, people may take pleasure in you and let you go because watching you is no longer interesting. Example. Instagram goddess Kim Kardashian constantly

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part II: 6 steps in creating your own personal brand

Tania Zhydkova

talks about her psoriasis and posts photos with spots on her face and body. In this way she shows that she is alive, she is sick just like others and that not everything is good in her life. It may annoy someone, but even these people will be interested to watch it. Your uniqueness. Form: presentation, emotion, outer “packaging“. Content: profession, unique knowledge, position. A person who possesses his/her own brand always knows who he/ she is. You need to be able to say briefly who you are, even if someone wakes you up in the middle of the night.

3. The Sage: seeks to use intelligence and analysis to understand the world.

9. The Jester: seeks to have a great time and lighten up the world.

4. The Hero: seeks to achieve excellence and become the best.

10. The Caregiver: seeks to take care of others.

5. The Rebel: seeks to overturn what isn’t working.

11. The Creator: seeks to implement a unique vision and product.

6. The Magician: strives to make dreams come true.

12. The Ruler: seeks to build a successful company or business.

Competencies. There are five levels of experts: company-level experts, local stars, rising stars, industry “rock stars”, global stars. Buyers are willing to pay to global stars 13 times more than to an average professional. How to become a global star? Answer: charisma and a strong personal brand. In this case, expert knowledge alone will no longer be enough, a full-fledged image will be needed. Stick to your personal line of expertise and ignore unfamiliar topics. You can have your point of view on all the current issues of the world, but you don’t have to express it because self-expression that is too broad weakens the brand. Emotions. Over time, people forget what you said or did. They only remember the emotion they experienced together with you. People who are going to take part in the Oprah Winfrey show know that they will cry even if they were not planning to do so. Think about the emotions the audience feels after you. Brand typology These are the basic archetypes of Carl Jung, adapted to the brands by Carol Pearson and Margaret Mark. After getting to know them, choose the archetypes that are relevant to your personal brand and describe how you position or will position them.

1. The Innocent: strives to be happy.

7. The Regular Guy or Gal: seeks to belong to a social environment.

2. The Explorer: seeks to experience an independent, adventurous life.

8. The Lover: seeks to build loving and inspiring relationships with the people, activities and places.

STEP 4. ANALYSE YOUR CUSTOMER SEGMENTS Once you define your social roles, the next step is to analyse your customer segments. Generally thousands of people follow public social networking accounts on Instagram and Facebook. These followers do not buy a product, do not participate in projects, they create an image of publicity. A completely different part of the customer segments cooperates with you and buys the product. This is why it is important to clearly define your social roles in order to create the necessary communication. On the one hand, it will help gather the masses of people around you. On the other hand, it will help you keep yourself as an authority in the eyes of those who will be willing to invest their time, money in the social projects you engage in, and buy the goods or services you offer. It is also important to find out where this particular target group of potential customers and partners is concentrated and to focus most of your attention right there.

183

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part II: 6 steps in creating your own personal brand Tania Zhydkova

STEP 5. GOOGLE YOURSELF.

STEP 6. BECOME A WOODPECKER.

Check out what the first pages of the search show. Do you see positive feedback from your colleagues, or possibly photos from parties with alcohol? It’s best to do this from someone else’s phone or computer, as your own devices will only show the best things about you. Review what can be removed from social networks. View all tags, reposts, photos you are tagged. Verify all the social networks you no longer use.

You have decided: “I am an activist who fights for animal rights. I fight for the exploitation of animals in any form.” And here you begin to repeat it always, in all circumstances, at every meeting, you start every message from that, you ask to be introduced as an animal rights activist and you repeat the same message like that woodpecker who tediously keeps hammering at the same point.

There is such a concept of “social ecosystem”. You think you are so amazing because you create your own image yourself. In fact, there are people who create it for you. What does your grandmother or friends write about you after the party?

It is impossible to overdo in this step. It may seem to you that people are tired of listening to you, because you have been talking about the same thing for the third year in a row. But you’ll be surprised to learn that only you get bored of it. At best, people will hear it once or twice: someone during a webinar, someone will read about it in a newspaper, someone during a conversation in a restaurant, someone from an acquaintance. And in all these circumstances, a complete full picture must be formed. For this picture to form, you have to emphasize the same meanings everywhere.

Example. The story of John Rockefeller, the world’s first dollar billionaire, is very interesting in this regard. How did the first public relations specialist Ivy Lee create his brand? When Ivy Lee began working with John Rockefeller, he was called the main miser of America. When Rockefeller died, the following message was published in all newspapers under the following headlines: “America’s main grandfather died.” That’s the fruit of a good job with a personal brand.

For notes, ideas, observations

184

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Personal brand. Part II: 6 steps in creating your own personal brand

For notes, ideas, observations

185

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Organization of events Alena Dzinman

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Organization of events

To acquaint the participants with the peculiarities and the stages of the planning and organization of an event on the basis of which they would be able to independently organize and implement the event on the chosen topic.

2–3 hours.

Projector, large sheets, various stationery, chairs, tables.

10–20 participants. At the beginning of the session, participants are invited to divide into groups of 3–4 people and share their most memorable events that they’ve had to attend. What made these events special? What did you remember the most? Participants are also invited to share in which area they would like to organize an event themselves and what it would be about. 10–15 minutes are given for such an introductory conversation in a group. Participants are divided into groups of 3–4 people, in which they plan a future event based on the six-stage event organization model provided. Key questions for participants to answer in the team. STAGE 1. Define what the purpose and objectives of your event are. Be sure to include quantitative indicators.

Practical tasks

STAGE 2. What is the idea and format of the event? How long will the event last and what is its program? STAGE 3. What speakers will you invite? Who will be the main participants of the event? STAGE 4. Discuss the main points of preparation for the event. STAGE 5. Plan how things will go on the day of the event. STAGE 6. What results do you expect at the end of the event? Participants have 45–60 minutes to complete the task.

End of session reflection methods

186

At the end of the session, each group presents their event’s project. Members of other groups ask questions, give their advice, recommendations and comments. Each participant says what he/she has learned during the session and when performing the task.

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Organization of events

Alena Dzinman

Notes to the leader

If possible, this session can be extended to help participants develop their event organization skills. When planning an event and its implementation stages, groups of participants can plan a real event which would be implemented in a youth centre or other space. In this case, additional meetings can be organized, during which the participants prepare for the implementation of the event and reflect on the achievements.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION STAGE 1. DEFINITION OF EVENT’S PURPOSES AND TASKS For what purpose do you plan to organize the event? That would seem like a rather strange question. Unfortunately, however, this is a very relevant question. Many events in the world are organized simply because other companies or organizations organize similar activities, so “we need to do the same.” This is done because either it’s fun or there’s money for it. However, such events are rarely successful. In order to make the event happen not without reason, but to benefit the entire company, organization, or project, the event organizer must clearly state to himself/herself the purpose for which he/she intends to organize the event, as well as set the tasks for the event. As purposes and tasks are two different concepts, it is worth finding out at the beginning how they differ. A purpose is a much broader concept than a task. Each purpose consists of several tasks that need to be solved and thus the set goal can be achieved. The purpose will always be directed towards longterm results. For example, the purpose of commercial organizations will usually be to promote goods and attract buyers. For example: Open days are often organized in learning centres. These are events that demonstrate how learning is organized at the centre, what teachers are involved in the teaching process, and what courses are being organized or are planned to be organized. The main purpose of such events is to attract potential students and sell them courses, to inform about the implementation of new programs. Other goals could be the following: •

to form people’s opinion about the company as experts in a certain field,

•

to increase the awareness of the company’s employees and their public speaking skills.

The purpose can be achieved not during one event, but during the whole series of events. Tasks, in turn, are the ways in which the purpose will be achieved after the event. They must be specific and clearly measurable. For example: a minimum of 50 visitors, 10 new customers or goods sold after the event, 5 publications in the media. Once again, the definition of purposes and tasks is one of the most important stages in organizing an event. If you miss or forget this stage, you might do a lot of work, but it won’t make any sense in the end. Organizing events is a very creative job with many details. You want to organize everything so that the event is both beautiful and interesting, and at the same time luxurious, because everyone does that. However, if you match each of your actions with your purposes and tasks, you will be able to easily and quickly understand which details will be useful for your event and which will not. You will be concentrated.

STAGE 2. DEFINITION OF EVENT’S IDEA AND FORMAT The best way to come up with a main idea for an event is to use the thinking design method that is described in Module VIII of this methodology. In this way, it is possible to implement a small study of the needs of the target group and organize an event focused on the needs of the audience. It is also important to take into account what similar companies and organizations are doing or to talk to people who have attended similar events. In this way, it is possible to take over their strong decisions and avoid (at least in part) their mistakes. At this stage, it is important to decide what the format of the event will be: will it be an event with one speaker lasting 1–2 hours, or will it be a conference with a large number of speakers lasting several days? How many people should attend your event? When and in what space will the event take place?

187

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Organization of events Alena Dzinman

There are many nuances to consider when answering these questions. For example, in the warm season, Saturdays and Sundays are considered unsuccessful days for organizing events. For events planned in the evening, the best day is considered to be Thursday, as difficult tasks have already been solved, but Friday has not yet come (by the way, Friday is a very bad day for events because people already want to relax after a hard week of work). As a result, most investors seek to organize their events on Thursdays. For this reason, other events may take place on the same day. It is also important to take this into account as the presence of alternative events can undermine your event. When planning the start time of the event, it is important to be respectful of the needs of the attendees. When organizing an event in the evening, it is important to choose such a start time that allows participants to arrive comfortably and without haste after work or studies, but at the same time, so that they do not have to wait long for the event to start.

STAGE 3. SELECTION OF SPEAKERS AND WORK WITH THEM Darbo su renginio pranešėjais taisyklės:

what they say is understood by everyone, and as a result they talk about things that everyone is aware of naturally.

2. It is important to make sure that the speaker is not only a good expert but also a reliable person. You don’t want the news to come out of a clear blue sky on the day of the event that the speaker won’t come, forgot about the event or disappeared? Such cases, unfortunately, happen often. So find out how the speaker did at other similar events and whether he/ she fulfilled his/her commitments. 3. Help the speaker prepare for his/her presentation. You need to know what the speaker will be talking about. Yes, the speaker is without a doubt an expert in his/her field, but: •

188

Make sure that the subject of the report will be revealed to the extent you need, and not just examined superficially, presenting information that is already known to all. Sometimes speakers try to make their presentation easier so that

Make sure the speaker does not share overly professional concepts and topics. Of course, this condition does not apply if the event is for professionals in their field.

•

Avoid situations where all speakers will talk about more or less the same thing. Sometimes it happens that the event lasts a very long time, but all the speakers provide essentially the same information. Obviously, the impressions after such an event are not the best.

•

Tell the speaker about the tasks of his/her presentation and about the target group of listeners. Ask him/her to share his/her presentation before the event and help adjust it if necessary.

4. Continue communication with the speaker after the event. Thank him/her for his/her participation, give respectful feedback, and remember that the world is ruled by networking. Therefore, continue the friendly communication with the speaker after the event as well.

Rules for working with event speakers: 1. Keep in touch with the speaker and check his ability to speak in public. There may be cases where a potential speaker develops a good image and positions himself/herself as a person with extensive experience and knowledge, but does not show that in reality and in action. Therefore, take a personal interest in the future speaker. Invite him/her for a chat, explore him/her in reality.

•

STAGE 4. PREPARATION FOR THE EVENT The most important points of the event preparation: •

Come up with a vivid title that reflects the topics that will be addressed by the speakers who will be speaking at the event

•

Create an event program

•

Invite speakers

•

Organize speakers’ arrival, accommodation, meals (if necessary)

•

Find and reserve the space where the event will take place

•

Assemble a team of volunteers

•

Create an event publicity plan

•

Create an event attendee registration form to know how many attendees will attend your event. Statistics show that about 50% of the registered attendees come to the evening events and about 30% of the registered attendees come to the morning events.

•

Create a commercial offer for event partners and sponsors (if necessary)

•

Start working on attracting partners and sponsors (if needed)

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Organization of events

Alena Dzinman

•

Implement the publicity plan

•

Write a plan for working with volunteers and create a guide for volunteers

•

Send a reminder about the event 1–3 days before the event to the registered attendees

•

Communicate with speakers

•

The day before the event, verify all the equipment, space, etc.

STAGE 5. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EVENT The first golden rule of the event’s coordinator is to arrive well before the event itself has to start. If the event starts in the early morning, it is important to take care of all the equipment the day before, prepare the location, place posters and roll-ups, and check that all the necessary stationery and technical equipment is available. Welcome of participants and speakers is one of the most important stages of the event. After all, this is the first moment you make contact with your visitors and guests. Therefore, several people must be present at this stage (depending on the number of participants in the event) who will be responsible for the welcome of the guests of the event. They must mark the participants on the registration forms, tell them about the main locations of the event, cloakroom, toilet, etc. It is important to know that there is a moment when a large number of participants arrive at the same time. At such moments, it is important that there are enough people in the team who would make sure that the guests did not have to wait in line.

It is also important to appoint an individual who will welcome the event’s speakers. It is better that this responsible person or people know the speakers in advance. This will make everyone feel much more comfortable. Support the speakers during the event, help them. Designate at least one person to help resolve conflicts or technical issues that arise during the event. Watch the equipment of the event, it unfortunately has a tendency to fail at the most inopportune time. However, in such cases, stay calm. Everyone, both speakers and participants, are well aware that this sometimes happens, so in such cases, just focus on solving the problem.

STAGE 6. AFTER THE EVENT The last stage of organizing the event, which will help to evaluate the experience and close the whole cycle of organizing the event, consists of the following tasks: 1. Gather feedback from participants 2. Send useful material from the event to the participants of the event 3. Analyse all the mistakes and achievements that occurred during the event 4. Plan how you will improve your events in the future.

For notes, ideas, observations

189

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Written skills, selling texts Anna Yadlovskaya

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Practical tasks

Written skills, selling texts Provide participants with information on how to write selling texts focused on attracting new clients and buyers.

1–2 hours.

Writing tools, projector.

Unlimited.

Each participant is invited to create 1–3 selling texts. In order to help make this happen when using creativity, the leader can provide newspaper clippings, advertisements, companies’ descriptions, etc. that show the activities of the company or organization, products sold, and so on.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Although the concept of “selling texts” is increasingly consolidating its position in business communication and marketing dictionaries, it is important to note that there is no such thing as selling texts or phrases that can force customers to buy something. But at the same time, that is good news! In any case, texts can help sell goods or services, which means that it is not so much a matter of learning to use some magical words, but of getting to know the mechanism of writing the texts better. So in order to write a text that will have a positive effect on sales, you need:

Choose one main goal, for example: •

tell customers about discounts,

•

tell customers about the new collection,

•

collect customers’ offers on New Year’s promotions, etc.

A good option: “A new collection of dresses has finally reached us, so in the next three days we will decorate the wall of your stories with photos of this beauty! Get ready to renew your wardrobe!

•

to define what the purpose of the text is,

And to keep you staying with us, we’re announcing a 30% discount on all older collections. Go to the “sales” page of our website and choose what you like!”

•

to analyse the customer segments,

An even better option:

•

to analyse the problems of the customer segments.

“Waiting for the sale? That’s the time!

PURPOSE The most popular mistake beginners make is trying to fit as many tasks as possible into one text. “I want the reader to know that we are currently offering a lot of discounts, that new items are coming, that we moved to another office and also that we are celebrating our manager’s birthday!”

190

Traditional seasonal sale at the forefront of the new collection! Discount up to 30% for all older collections until February 10th! Go to the “Sales” page of our website and choose the kits you like!”

MODULE: Business communication SUBJECT TITLE: Written skills, selling texts

Anna Yadlovskaya

Customer segments At this stage, it is important to understand who will you be talking to. After all, there is a big difference when you talk to your grandmother or younger sister. In each case, you choose different words, you formulate sentences differently and unambiguously choose different voice intonations, which in business communication are called TOV (tone of voice). Customer segments’ problems In marketing, “a problem” is what drives your customer segments to act. For example, if your customer segments is mothers and the product is a watch-an alarm clock for childcare procedures, then some of the problems will be fear of the child’s well-being and a desire to control everything. So if your text reflects problems, there is a better chance of grabbing the reader’s attention and achieving the desired goals.

An even better option: 8 out of 10 accountants will lose their jobs after 5 years. To protect yourself, start the retraining process now. Sometimes it’s good not to write an introduction at all and start straight from the offer. Pay attention! The offer must be relevant to the customer segments and necessarily limited. The quantity of goods, period, etc. may be limited. For example: <headline> Want to change career? <text> Registration for retraining courses at the “Dream” Academy is already open! In just three months you will be able to update your knowledge and gain the profession of “Robot - Calculator Pilot”! <offer> A 25% discount is valid until March 30, we only have 5 places left!

Text structure

Call to action

There are no rules that clearly define what the text should look like. The more you practice, the more flexible your copywriting tool will become, and then you will learn to intuitively choose verbal formulas. However, in the beginning, the most common structure can be used to develop this skill:

In order for the client not to speculate, the text must clearly tell him/her what we want from him/her and what he/she needs to do even if it seems self-evident when writing.

•

Headline

•

Text (offer)

The call to action can be both precise and direct, as well as creatively designed. But don’t overdo it with creativity. If you are not assured of your creative abilities, it is better to do without them.

•

Call to action

Let’s add to our example the call to action:

Headline

<headline> Want to change career?

This is the part that aims to capture the reader’s attention. The headline can be written in the form of a question or statement, and it can also contain a brief essence of the message.

<text> Registration for retraining courses at the “Dream” Academy is already open! In just three months you will be able to update your knowledge and gain the profession of “Robot - Calculator Pilot”!

For example:

<offer> A 25% discount is valid until March 30, we only have 5 places left!

Want to change career? The profession of an accountant will disappear by 2030! We invite you to retraining courses! Only three places left at a special price!

<call to action> Fill in a short entry form and we will send you all the details!

Text (offer) After writing the headline, go to the body of the message. Try to avoid lengthy introductions because you run the risk of not revealing the main idea to the person. A good option: Everyone knows that the 21st century is changing all areas of work dynamically. Just yesterday, we talked that the profession of accountant is in demand, and today we are already talking about the fact that these specialists will soon be replaced by robots.

191

Template for career-focussed education session

You may fill in this template to create your own unique session to meet the needs of your target group

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

192

You may use this sheet to describe the theoretical material you would be using during the session

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

193

For notes, ideas, observations

194

MODULE VIII

FORMATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF THE GROUP The aim of the module is to acquaint participants with various theories of teamwork and leadership and to provide them an opportunity to get to know themselves as leaders and team members in practice.

195

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Team building and needs Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Team building and needs To provide participants with knowledge about the process of team building, types of team management, ways to motivate team members and the importance of learning when being in a team.

3–4 hours.

Writing tools, balloons, projector.

15–20 participants.

The leader prepares slips of papers with celebrity pairs or associatively related phrases (for example, Romeo and Juliet, Alice and Wonderland, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, etc.) Slips of papers are distributed to participants, who are invited to find their pair and get to know each other within 10 minutes, with each person in the pair answering the following questions: Acquaintance/ team building methods

1. to tell each other about the best teamwork experience; 2. to tell each other about the worst teamwork experience. Later, taking into account these shared aspects, write down a few points which are important when working and building relationships in a team. Finally, all pairs of participants introduce themselves and share their singled out points and briefly describe why they wrote exactly them.

“Centipede” All participants are given a balloon which they must inflate and tie. Participants are then invited to stand behind each other (in “snake” or “centipede” manner). All participants connect with each other via balloons, i.e., one balloon rests on the back of the participant who is in front of the other participant, the other balloon rests on the belly. Participants are informed that they cannot touch the balloons with their hands. Practical tasks

The leader places the obstacles in the space (in good weather, the task can take place outdoors) and indicates to the group the trajectory of the whole “centipede” to complete. The most important condition: participants cannot separate, the balloon cannot fall to the ground. If the balloon falls to the ground, the group starts all over again. With a larger group of participants, it is possible to divide participants into two groups, e.g. two “centipedes” of 8-10 participants each, who compete against each other, who will overcome the obstacle sooner. The task is being performed until the “centipede(s)” overcome(s) the entire obstacle completely, usually it takes 10–20 minutes.

196

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Team building and needs

Gintarė Joteikaitė

At the end of the practical task, the group is invited to share: 1. How did you manage to complete the task and overcome the obstacles? End of session reflection methods

2. What leaders emerged in the course of the task? Was there any fight between the different leaders and was there a debate over tactics on how to better overcome the obstacle course? 3. What type of governance (authoritarian, democratic, collegial, bureaucratic, or market rules) dominated when making decisions, related to the successful completion of the task? Why?

THEORETICAL INFORMATION TEAM DEVELOPMENT STAGES The process of team building and development is extremely important, because it is precisely the quality of the implementation of this stage that determines the overall success of the project or activity that is being implemented. No matter how competent professionals and strong personalities come together for the planned joint activities, the work cannot immediately become effective on its own and give good results. We have already reviewed B. Tuckman’s stages of group development in the first Introduction to this methodology (p. 25). We recommend that this information be taken into account and used in the team building and management session – young people will benefit from a better understanding of all stages of team building and life. And in order not to duplicate information already provided, the theoretical part of this session describes some other important topics about the existence of the team. It is worthwhile for a project coordinator or manager to patiently and consistently lead their team members towards becoming like-minded, moving towards the same goal. So what criteria could be used in determining whether the team has really banded together? Here are some points which testify to the successful achievement of team commonality. •

Team members have a common vision of project goals, project tasks bring members together;

•

There are commonly accepted quality standards for individual and group work that are clear and accepted by all team members;

•

The project manager is seen not only as a formal leader, but also as an authority for all team members;

•

The team is focused on the target group of customers and accepts its needs;

•

Team members are motivated to solve problems and to help colleagues to solve their problems;

•

Conflicts within a team are constructive and quickly resolved;

•

Occasional mistakes are accepted with respect and peace, learning from experience and improving further processes.

TYPES OF PROJECT TEAM MANAGEMENT The type of project management is one of the most important aspects of internal communication within a team, which should be clear and acceptable to all team members. This is an important part of the project’s life culture, which should remain invariable and consistent. Here are five types of team management. 1. The team leader makes all the decisions. This is an authoritarian type of team management. This type is most commonly applied in large corporations with an unlimited number of employees who do not have a higher education degree and work in unskilled jobs. Systematic managerial decisions are applied to the relevant work group circuits without leaving no room for discussion about these decisions. 2. Decisions are relied upon written and unwritten market and work field rules. Legal aspects, political decisions and recommendations, market prices and demand, the prevailing culture of work relations in the market, the culture of how team members are motivated, and the culture of work style have the greatest influence on the whole work culture and everyday decisions. 3. The type of bureaucratic management is most common in public institutions, political structures, and very large corporations with thousands of employees. In this case, each action and decision is documented according to publicly accepted

197

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Team building and needs Gintarė Joteikaitė

descriptions and regulations, in which case the main task of the team leader is to ensure that all the necessary performance indicators and bureaucratic requirements are achieved. 4. A type of democratic management, which an increasing number of Western culture states seek to apply in a wide range of sectors of activity. In this case, the team is seen as a community of professionals that unanimously seeks an overall result, and each team member is focused on both the overall result and his/her own personal growth. The main engine of this type of activity is the commonly adopted rules and democratic decisions which the whole team adheres to. 5. The type of collegial management is relatively new. In this case, the forms of management are equally distributed among several management subjects. The most important management factor here becomes the professionalism of the members of the management team who have certain specific competencies and knowledge. Often, the mechanism of collegial management is made up of several strong leaders, one of whom focuses more on the long-term strategy of future visions, the other – on the strategy of effective enforcement, the third – on the quality of processes and the like.

MOTIVATION OF TEAM MEMBERS Another important aspect for the successful existence of the team is the motivation of team members. The planning and implementation of this responsibility usually falls on key team leaders. However, it is welcome when decisions on this issue are made or at least needs and ideas are expressed by all team members. In this methodology, when addressing the topic of motivation, we have already discussed the existence of external and intrinsic motivation. External motivation is usually a financial motivation, which is expressed in financial supplements, additional social guarantees, discounts, services, etc. At the same time, the methods of external motivation also have their disadvantages: when there are no more opportunities to externally encourage team members and when the external motivation factor disappears, the motivation of employees decreases significantly and disappears. In any case, where possible, financial motivational tools are undoubtedly important and useful. However, even greater value and efficiency in the team is encouraged and developed by factors that raise intrinsic motivation. Several different methods and techniques for promoting intrinsic motivation can be distinguished:

198

1. Personal thanks are expressed to the team members for their participation and contribution to the whole project, activity. It is important to show a team member, even one who performs a minor function in the activity, that he/she is important and that the results of his/her work are significant. A member of the team is invited to a conversation, during which it is discussed how he/she managed to carry out the said task, what went well, what went not so well and he/she is thanked – personally or publicly. 2. Creating and applying a “leadership on call” schedule in team work. This means that during each meeting or each new activity, a particular team member is appointed who is fully responsible for that particular episode of teamwork or is given responsibility for a specific period of time. 3. An invitation to evaluate together team work in various aspects of a project or activity, even in those with which team members are not directly related. In this way, the team member feels that he/she is a significant part of the team and that his/her opinion matters. 4. Organization of various informal and recreational activities, the main function of which is to psychologically relax the atmosphere in the team, allow team members to get to know each other better and emotionally “restart” themselves and relationships in the team. 5. Providing opportunities for team members to broaden their overall and professional horizons, by changing the nature of their activities, migrating between project activities, divisions, departments, or responsibilities. This aspect is important because in the 21st century, vertical team management, that was usual a few decades ago, is being replaced by the vertical one. This means that even in the relationship between team members of large corporations and different departments, an equal relationship and shared mutual responsibility begin to entrench. 6. Additional days off, trips, the opportunity to study and change your work profile. 7. Combination of tighter and more detailed and flexible work schedules, enabling team members to plan their work time on their own and without stress, returning to shared responsibilities and accountability in certain episodes.

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Team building and needs

Gintarė Joteikaitė

LEARNING NEEDS OF THE TEAM AND ITS MEMBERS Before embarking on any new project, team commitment or activity, it is important to give all team members the opportunity to assess whether they have all the necessary knowledge and competencies for the successful implementation of the project and what training they would need to deepen and expand the required knowledge. As mentioned before, providing

opportunity to learn and thus improve is one of the strongest tools for fostering intrinsic motivation. At the same time, it is important to anticipate how the acquired knowledge will be integrated into all work processes and how it will improve further work quality and indicators. Below is an algorithm that will help to successfully reflect on all the most important issues related to learning needs and outcomes:

Team goals

Learning needs analysis

Learning

Integration

Self-assessment

What do we want to achieve?

Why and what do we want to learn?

What are our learning goals?

Quantitative and qualitative results

Areas of work and activities, where people lack knowledge

What do we need to learn?

How will knowledge be integrated into everyday responsibility processes?

What have we achieved thanks to our enriched knowledge baggage?

How will the knowledge gained be shared with other colleagues?

Qualitative indicators

What knowledge and skills are required in order to successfully achieve the projected goals?

Personal development and career needs

Who needs to learn and what? How will learning be combined with work? How will learning outcomes be measured?

How will the acquired knowledge improve the quality of work?

Quantitative indicators Changed work algorithms Financial indicators

For notes, ideas, observations

199

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Principles of leadership and their development, charisma Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Principles of leadership and their development, charisma To acquaint participants with various theories of leadership and strengthen the ability to recognize different types of leaders and their patterns of behaviour.

3–4 hours.

Leaders‘ portraits, scissors, writing tools, paper, projector, screen, selected film about some leader – a historical personality.

10–20 participants

The training leader pre-selects (can be cut from magazines or printed) about 5 to 6 portraits of as diverse leaders as possible (depending on the theoretical material). All of these portraits are cut into separate “puzzles” that are shuffled. The training leader does not explain anything – he/she does not say that these are portraits of leaders. The group of participants is invited to collect all the puzzles into the appropriate portraits. The group is asked to discuss and present what unites all the portraits and what makes each personality stand out.

A fiction or documentary film based on the true life story of a known leader is selected for the practical task (it can be a film about Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Hitler, Margaret Thatcher or any other leader).

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

200

The training manager posts the most important points of the theoretical part (leadership laws, leadership according to dominant functions, types of leaders, etc.) throughout the training space in the “crib’s” format. While watching the film, participants are invited to capture important aspects: •

what types of leaders they saw in the film;

•

what laws the main leaders and the main character shown in the film followed;

•

what were the key, most important moments and turning points in the plot, what were the actions of the leader and why were they important;

•

who are the followers of a leader and why they follow their leader;

•

who are the opponents of the leader and how the main character treats them.

At the end of the film review, participants are invited to discuss the film, answering all the questions in the practical task, and reviewing all the “cribs” displayed around the space.

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Principles of leadership and their development, charisma

Gintarė Joteikaitė

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Leadership and leader following are encoded in the genes of humans and most other animal species throughout evolution. Finding and following the right leader for the entire herd of animals or the human tribe meant greater chances of survival, provision and safety. Nowadays, the aspect of leadership manifests itself in different situations in everyone’s lives. There are many theories of leadership, distributions of types of leaders. In the framework of this session, we will review several theories.

TYPES OF LEADERS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS Max Weber, a German sociologist, philosopher and historian, distinguished three types of leadership: 1. Traditional leader – this type of leadership is characteristic of a pre-industrial society, in which the descendants of the monarch used to take over the power directly from their parents. In this case, the right to leadership is taken over, taking into account the traditions that exist in the community. This type of leadership is also characteristic of animals. Children of noble monkeys of certain species of monkeys also acquire a special status throughout the tribe from childhood. 2. Legal-rational leader is a bureaucratic type of leadership, when a leader is elected on the basis of certain established and publicly accepted rules. In this case, the leader gains confidence to perform a certain limited function, thus helping to maintain general order in the state. 3. Charismatic leader is the most emotional type of leadership, because in this case the followers have a direct emotional connection with their leader, believe in him/her and idealize his/her powers. Such a leader evokes strong emotions, inspires, fascinates, surprises, followers seek to repeat each of his/her actions, and try to resemble their leader as he/she is their greatest example. Christianity distinguishes charisma as a gift from God given to man so that he could become a conductor and bearer of an important mission. This gift manifests itself through special abilities, personal qualities, the gift of speaking. The naturally irresistible attraction to such a person attracts those around him/her. Sociologists call charisma the characteristics of a personality that set him/her apart from all others.

Sigmund Feud divided leadership into group leadership and individual leadership. He emphasized that leadership is a long-term process in which a person, due to a combination of his/her certain characteristics, acquires the ability to attract people around him/her, inspire them to take action and to naturally encourage them to act. These actions of surrounding people, which are inspired, take place unconsciously, and in the long run, such a person – the source of inspiration for those around – is identified as the leader that people follow. Freud also linked leadership to an excess of human psycho-sexual energy, which man subconsciously sublimes into expressions of leadership. Psychoanalysts distinguish ten types of leaders: 1. Coach – this type is often treated as a “strict but just and caring father”, sometimes called a patriarchal ruler. Such a leader strives for the best qualities of his subordinates, always remains confident and calm, and creates an atmosphere of security and discipline. 2. Commander – this type of leader is seen by group members as having all the qualities that are formally or informally accepted by the group as the “highest standard”. All members of the group closely observe every action of the leader and try to repeat them in every way. 3. Tyrone – an authoritarian type of leadership where leadership is built on fear. Such a leader is accepted as the strongest in the group and all his/ her instructions are accepted and carried out with fear and humility. 4. Organizer – such a leader is fair, follows the rules, is calm and strives to maintain balance in the group. Such a leader listens to the needs of the whole group, successfully delegates responsibilities. He/ she bases his/her decisions on democratic values. 5. Seducer – this type of leader recognizes well the weaknesses of the people around him/her and is able to act through them. Through his/her actions, he/she is able to bring talents to the surface, strengthen the powers of team members, giving each team member “wings”. Being extremely empathetic, such a leader brings to the surface the feelings and conflicts of the whole group and thus balances the overall atmosphere of the group. Mystical inexplicable powers are often attributed to this type of leader. Such a person evokes strong feelings and a sense

201

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Principles of leadership and their development, charisma Gintarė Joteikaitė

of dependence for each member of the group. 6. Hero – this type of leader evokes a sense of respect and admiration, as he/she seeks and is able to solve all critical situations as well as to take care of each team member. This type of personality elevates the well-being of other people above his/her own, which is why others trust him/her especially. Most historical revolutionaries are of the hero type. 7. The soul of the group is a leader who is able to maintain a good mood, enthusiasm and energy of all team members. Such a person feels well those who lack energy and immediately “ignites” them. Has a good sense of humour, crazy ideas, with which he/ she immediately ignites the whole group. 8. The star is a leader whose actions, creation evoke great resonance and admiration and many people follow such type of leader, because what he/she creates resonates and people want to follow it all. 9. The rejected and 10. “Scapegoat” – these are the two types of anti-leaders that the group usually struggles with. The science of psychology also divides leadership according to the dominant functions: LEADER - ORGANIZER This kind of leader is a wise, tolerant and democratic leader who, in every action, carefully considers the needs of all team members, by systematizing them and finding ways to meet them. LEADER - CREATOR This kind of leader is an initiator of new ideas who inspires and encourages the team to move forward and pursue new achievements. This kind of leader is a pretty independent leader who can often be an individualist, enthusiastic about activities he/she initiates himself/ herself, and who often attracts like-minded people even unconsciously. LEADER - FIGHTER This kind of leader is an emotional leader who categorically defends his/her position and truths. This kind of leader is always ready to fight for his/her ideas and the values he/she believes in. This type of leaders promotes change, but their weakness is that, guided by emotions, they do not always pay enough attention to analysing the current circumstances and situation. LEADER - DIPLOMAT This type of leader seeks to maintain a relationship with all possible parties and to be informed about all events and relationships that take place in the group.

202

In the pursuit of harmony and peace, this type of leader is constantly striving to discover common ground and promote dialogue in conflicts. LEADER - COMFORTER For this type of leader, interpersonal relationships are paramount. The comforter creates a strong emotional connection with each team member and maintains them not only in the context of teamwork but also in personal life. Therefore, all team members have great confidence in the leader and accepts his/her authority and decisions. LAWS OF LEADERSHIP John C. Maxwell has written the book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, which has become a recognized best-seller worldwide. In this book, the author describes more and less well-known world leaders and examples of their leadership success. Here are some of the more interesting laws he describes: THE LAW OF EMPOWERMENT Theodore Roosevelt said, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and the self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” This law states that one of the most important characteristics of a leader is the ability to neutralize the weaknesses of team members and further strengthen their strengths, thus enabling them to independently implement various tasks and goals. THE LAW OF EXPLOSIVE GROWTH This law speaks about a leader’s ability to initiate and implement powerful and energetic leaps, and as a result, the energy level of the entire team and its activities rises. A leader reinforces, raises, and hyperbolizes certain aspects of tasks and goals. In this way, a certain positive stress factor is formed in the team, which forces each team member to surpass himself/herself, so the explosive growth ultimately serves not only the overall goal of the team, but also the personal goals and career of each team member. THE LAW OF THE INNER CIRCLE A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him. This law states that the influence of a leader is largely determined by the environment that surrounds him. Therefore, you are invited to consciously form a circle of your immediate environment because people tend to adopt the way of life and to have the same attitudes, beliefs and viewpoint towards life that the people around them have. For a leader who seeks effectiveness, efficiency, and influence, it is important to

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Principles of leadership and their development, charisma

Gintarė Joteikaitė

associate and connect with people who have the desired results and a lifestyle that helps to achieve them. THE LAW OF INTUITION Powerful leaders are distinguished by their ability to analyse many factors in a very short time – basically in an instant: “to evaluate” trends, resources, people, and even themselves. They are extremely confident in their knowledge, logical sequence of thoughts and emotions. They learn quickly from existing experiences, so when situations which are similar in plot occur and when they meet similar types of people, they anticipate the course of events. These are leaders who have the courage to rely on their intuition and they sense well when the right time for action comes.

to future generations. In this way, team members feel that they are contributing to something meaningful and adding value to the future, and therefore seek to follow such a leader. THE LAW OF RESPECT This world is so created that people naturally follow those who remain true to their values, aspirations, and are solidly moving towards their goals. In this case, the status of a person, the financial situation in society cease to be important. The people around them naturally listen to the invitations of such a person, because they feel his/her persistent self-confidence, which raises respect.

THE LAW OF LEGACY Legendary leaders seek not only to influence and be important to the environment, legendary leaders have the ability to structure their experiences so that they become refined technologies that will be passed on

For notes, ideas, observations

203

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Design Thinking Nadzeya Putsiata

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools

Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Design Thinking

To provide participants with knowledge about the peculiarities of design-based thinking, about the strengths of the method and its implementation stages. To introduce this method as an effective tool for teamwork and for team empowerment in making various decisions and addressing challenges.

From 2–4 hours to 1 week.

Various writing tools, sheets of paper of various sizes, computers, projector, writing board. When implementing the practical task, more diverse measures may be needed, which will become clearer in the course of the task.

10–20 participants.

A large poster is hung on the wall. All participants are given many sticky notes of different colours and are asked to write on them one or more problems (local, national or global). Each participant thinks and writes individually, about 5 minutes are given for this task. Each participant is then invited to approach the poster, introduce themselves briefly, and stick their stickers on the poster with the problems written on, presenting why they wrote down the particular problem.

The theoretical part specifies seven tasks: Task no. 1 In a group, choose the problem you want to solve using the design thinking method. The solution to the problem may be to create some product. The problem can be both general, e.g. ecological problems in the city, as well as a very local one, such as the ecological environment at school. Task no. 2. Prepare 10 questions for your chosen topic to ask during the interview. Select 5–10 people who face the chosen problem in one way or another and interview them. Practical tasks

Task no. 3: Fill in all parts “SAY”, “DO”, “THINK”, “FEEL” of the square with the data you received during the interview. From all the data obtained, depict one character (in as much detail as possible): what does he/she like, what is he/she afraid of, what places does he/she visit, what does he/she read, and so on. Write down what your character’s needs have been discovered. Highlight insights. Task no. 4: Based on the image of the highlighted character, you can specify the task you will be solving. For example: “In the beginning, we highlighted the problem of the ecological environment at our school. And now we realized that our character is interested in a specific issue: sorting garbage at our school.”

204

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Design Thinking

Nadzeya Putsiata

Task no. 5: After choosing the method of generating ideas, come up with as many (up to 100) ideas as possible, how to solve a problem raised by your character. Choose one idea, which you will continue to work on, by voting. Task no. 6: Create a prototype of your idea implementation - product, solution to the problem and so on. Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

Task no. 7: Assemble the focus group and test your prototype with them. In order to help participants acquire practical design-based thinking skills, it would be most valuable to give the group or groups of participants a longer period of time (e.g., a week) to implement a real project, i.e. to highlight real problems and to create real prototypes. Without the opportunity to devote more time to the implementation of all tasks, it is possible to implement training and completion of tasks in a one or two day training program. And if you want to conduct a multi-hour session, then you can devote 1–2 hours to a practical task and focus only on the first few tasks.

In the event that projects created using the design thinking method are successfully implemented, it is highly recommended to organize a small celebration for the participants to celebrate the actions taken, the solution to the problem or the implemented project. Groups of participants are invited to share their results, photos, footage. Each participant is also invited to share his/her experiences and what he/she has learned.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION “Design thinking is a human-centred approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.” Tim Brown, executive chair of IDEO The design thinking method was developed at Stanford and is sometimes referred to as the method for creating innovation. This methodology can be used in a wide variety of situations, from working on a new product to developing a customer relationship strategy. Task no. 1 In a group, choose the problem you want to solve using the design thinking method. The solution to the problem may be to create some product. The problem can be both general, e.g. ecological problems in the city, as well as a very local one, such as the ecological environment at school. PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN THINKING: 1. Show, not tell Communicate your vision to other people through illustrations and stories. 2. Focus on values

Express empathy for the people you design for. Feedback from your users is the basis of quality design. 3. Strive for accuracy Strive to understand exactly the essence of the problem. Form it so that it is understood by everyone and that you want to address it. 4. Say “YES” to experimenting Prototyping and testing is not just a testing of an idea. Prototypes are created for reflection and learning. 5. Remember the processes Always know what stage of the process design you are at, what methods you use at each stage, and what are you aiming for. 6. Less talk, more action Design thinking is more about real work than the process of reflection. Strive to do as much as possible, not just reflect and discuss. 7. Collaboration Bring together people - innovators from different fields and with different perspectives in order to produce the best solutions in this cooperation.

205

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Design Thinking Nadzeya Putsiata

EMPATHY

DEFINITION

Design Thinking consists of 5 stages:

IDEATE

PROTOTYPE

TEST

EMPATHY - DEFINITION - IDEATE - PROTOTYPE - TEST STAGE 1. UNDERSTANDING AND EMPATHY Empathy is the basis of a design that is human-centred. In the empathy stage you: Observe. You explore your users, their behaviour, and their daily lives. You get involved. You meet users live in order to communicate with them. You go deep. You try to understand as best you can all the challenges and experiences of the users. WHY IS THE EMPATHY STAGE NEEDED? You need to understand the people you are creating your product for. As problems that you focus on are rarely related to you directly, they are more consumer problems, you need to be empathetic to consumers’ values and needs in order to solve relevant problems. By observing what people do and how they interact with their environment, you can understand what they think and feel. This understanding can help you understand their needs. Only by observing users can you see what their lives look like in reality. Interpret their experiences at a deeper level and discover strong insights. On the other hand, learning to observe and experience insights can be harder than it seems at first glance. Why? Because your brain automatically filters large amounts of information, and we don’t even notice it. Therefore, it is worth learning to look at everything with fresh eyes. Communication and collaboration with users opens up the possibility of knowing their opinions and values, which previously were not so self-evident, even to themselves. An in-depth study of the issue may surprise both researchers and subjects, as some insights may be very surprising. If you want to create a good product, communicate and collaborate with consumers in order to:

206

•

understand their hidden needs;

•

discover promising and innovative directions of activity;

•

discover your user;

•

discover the exact user’s emotions which lead to one experience or another.

In addition to communicating with and observing consumers, it is no less important to experience their experience. Try to reproduce and immerse yourself in the situation they find themselves in. One way to experience this is to conduct an interview based on empathy. In order to find a solution that improves the life of the consumer, it is necessary to understand his/her thoughts, moods and motives. By understanding what affects his/her decisions and behaviours, you will be able to understand what a user’s need is and discover ideas for solving that need. HOW TO LEAD SUCH AN INTERVIEW? Ask “Why?”. Even if you seem to know the answer, ask the interviewer why he/she has expressed one position or another or acted in one way or another. The answers may surprise you. A conversation that was dedicated to one topic may continue for as long as it takes to thoroughly explore the issue. Do not use the word “usually” in your questions. Better ask about specific cases or events, such as “How was the last time…”. Seek to hear the story. Whatever that story is, it will give you a chance to understand how a person views the world. Ask questions with the goal of hearing your interlocutor’s story. Look for discrepancies. Sometimes a user’s stories and desires and actual lifestyle can significantly disagree. These discrepancies may hide interesting insights. Don’t forget about non-verbal communication and body language. Observe the gestures of the interlocutor and what emotions he/she expresses with the help of body language. Don’t be afraid of silence. When there is a pause of silence during an interview, one always wants to ask a question. Let there be pauses of silence. It is likely that after a longer pause of silence, the interlocutor will start talking in more detail on the topic under discussion, and that will reveal the situation on an even deeper level. Do not offer answers to your questions. Even if there is an uncomfortable silence after you’ve asked a question, do not rush to offer an answer. Your interlocutor may subconsciously say or confirm what you want to hear.

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Design Thinking

Nadzeya Putsiata

Ask open questions. An open question would be the following: “What do you think about buying gifts for Christmas?” Meanwhile, the closed question “Do you agree that giving gifts at Christmas is amazing?” gives less space and creative freedom to respond. Generally, closed questions only allow you to answer “yes” or “no,” but you want the interviewer to tell you a story.

Unfortunately, thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and emotions cannot be understood and interpreted directly. Discover them by observing the interlocutor. Observe body language, tone of voice, and words.

Make sure you are ready to capture the information. Always conduct an interview with a partner. If you do not have a partner, use the recorder. You will not be able to communicate qualitatively with the interlocutor throughout the entire interview and at the same time capture everything he/she says.

Needs are what a person needs on an emotional and physical level. It is the needs of the users that help to determine the right task for the job. Consumer needs are expressed only in verbs (“feel”, “receive”, “understand”) and not in nouns (“solution”, “product”, “idea”). For example, “feeling full” is a need, and “food” is a solution.

Task no. 2. Prepare 10 questions for your chosen topic to ask during the interview. Select 5–10 people who face the chosen problem in one way or another and interview them.

The easiest way to understand needs is to observe user needs and remarks. Some needs can be seen in the discrepancies between what consumers are saying and what they are actually doing. Write down and highlight all the needs.

STAGE 2. DEFINITION In the definition phase, you analyse and synthesize all the findings that emerged in the empathy phase. As a result, you gain insights and an understanding of the needs of the users you will work with. At this stage, it is important to achieve several goals: 1. Understand your user and his environment as well as possible; 2. On the basis of this formed understanding, formulate the task you will be working on. In order to achieve this goal, you need to draw a “An empathy map”. “An empathy map” is basically the amalgamation of all the interviewed people into one personality with certain thoughts, insights and problems. This map is displayed and completed in several steps: Step 1: Depiction Take a sheet of paper, draw a four-part square on it, and fill each part with the following aspects: What does the user SAY? What phrases and words did he/she express? What does the user THINK? What is the user thinking about? What did the interlocutor say about his/ her beliefs and thoughts?

What does the user DO? What actions in his/her behaviour caught your attention? What does the user FEEL? What feelings did he/ she experience while speaking?

Step 2: Analyse the needs Analyse the resulting map.

Step 3: Highlight insights Insight is an important discovery that can push you towards a better solution to tasks. Sometimes insight becomes noticeable from discrepancies between consumer needs or discrepancies in behaviour. In addition, insights can be drawn from the answers to the questions “Why?”, which you will ask to explain some strange behaviour of the user. Write down all the insights that emerge. This way, by completing all three steps, you will get one character who has his/her own needs, thoughts, and problems. Task no. 3: Fill in all parts “SAY”, “DO”, “THINK”, “FEEL” of the square with the data you received during the interview. From all the data obtained, depict one character (in as much detail as possible): what does he/ she like, what is he/she afraid of, what places does he/ she visit, what does he/she read, and so on. Write down what your character’s needs have been discovered. Highlight insights. Task no. 4: Based on the image of the highlighted character, you can specify the task you will be solving. For example: “In the beginning, we highlighted the problem of the ecological environment at our school. And now we realized that our character is interested in a specific issue: sorting garbage at our school.” STAGE 3. IDEAS At this stage, it is important to come up with as many different ideas as possible in order to solve the tasks on the basis of which you will eventually create and test the prototypes.

207

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Design Thinking Nadzeya Putsiata

WHY IS THE IDEAS’ STAGE NECESSARY? This stage is necessary to move from a problem to a solution to it. It provides the opportunity to: •

to put obvious decisions out of one’s head and start thinking outside the box;

•

to increase the potential of innovative solutions;

•

to open up new areas for research;

•

to create a flexible and coherent innovation process.

Regardless of the method you use to generate ideas, we recommend applying it in two steps. In the first stage, participants generate as many ideas as possible, in the second stage, all ideas are evaluated and supplemented or grouped. Task no. 5: After choosing the method of generating ideas, come up with as many (up to 100) ideas as possible, how to solve a problem raised by your character. Choose one idea, which you will continue to work on, by voting. STAGE 4. PROTOTYPE In the prototyping process, your ideas come true in reality. Anything can become a prototype: a wall with sticky notes, a game scene, a space, an object, an interface, or a pattern of behaviour. The process of refining a prototype is carried out together with the refinement of work processes related to it. There is no need to be afraid of the fact that the first prototype variants will be rough and incomplete, as it is important to test them quickly and get feedback. A prototype brings more benefits if participants (team members, users, and other people) can interact with it. When participants have the opportunity to test the prototype live, you get quality feedback from them about successful and unsuccessful solutions and new knowledge that can help you get to know the user more deeply and empathetically. WHO DO WE NEED TO CREATE A PROTOTYPE? It is generally believed that prototypes are used to test functionality. However, prototyping can also be used to perform other tasks: •

Development of empathy. The prototype provides an opportunity to get to know your user better in the empathy stage and when gathering information;

•

Ideas. Think with your hands when creating a wide variety of solutions;

•

Testing. In order to improve solutions, create prototypes that emerge from a particular context;

•

Inspiration.

208

Inspire

other

people

(colleagues,

customers, clients, investors) by showing them your vision through a prototype. Task no. 6: Create a prototype of your idea implementation - product, solution to the problem and so on. STAGE 5. TESTING Testing is a great opportunity to improve the solutions you are developing. Prototypes’ testing is usually implemented several times – interactively and in real conditions. Test as if you are sure you are right. Test as if you are sure you are wrong. WHY IS THE TESTING STAGE NECESSARY? Testing is required to: •

improve the prototype and solutions. Testing shows how the existing solution can be improved. Sometimes improving a prototype means starting all over again.

•

get to know consumers better. Testing is another way to observe and collaborate with users in order to get to know them even better and gain new insights.

•

to check and to improve problem solving. Sometimes testing shows that a mistake was made not only in performing the tasks but also in anticipating the problem.

If you realized in the testing stage that the solution was not right, you can always go back to any of the previous stages and start over. Task no. 7: Assemble the focus group and test your prototype with them.

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Design Thinking

For notes, ideas, observations

209

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Roles in the team Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Roles in the team

To acquaint participants with theories of roles‘ distribution in a team and to provide them an opportunity to get to know better their personal roles in different groups and contexts when performing practical tasks.

2–3 hours.

Projector, large sheets of paper, writing tools, disposable cups, rubbers, threads.

10–20 participants. Participants are divided into groups of 4-5 people. Each group is given a large sheet of paper and writing tools. Participants in each group are invited to tell about the groups, teams of people they had to participate in (class, university, camps, companies of friends) and to distinguish the main roles, types of people (for example, “an achiever at school”, “a person who makes everyone laugh”, “righteous of the group,” “heart of the company”, etc.), who you met in those groups. Finally, the whole group pictures (draws and names) a team on their poster, where they depict actors performing different roles – their actors and characters. All groups present and comment on their drawings to the whole group of participants.

The practical task will require threads of equal length (approximately 1 m in length), several rubber bands, and several dozen disposable cups.

Practical tasks

All participants are divided into groups of 5 to 6 people. Each group is given 10 disposable cups, and one rubber band that is tied with as many threads as there are participants in the group. The groups are given the task of building the tallest tower possible, holding the threads of equal length (each participant holds in his hand the end of one thread). Participants may not touch the cups with their hands, but only with the help of a rubber band. The task lasts as long as it takes to complete it (usually about 10–20 minutes).

210

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Roles in the team

Gintarė Joteikaitė

After completing the practical task, participants are invited to discuss: End of session reflection methods

1. How did you manage to complete the task? What went well? What obstacles did you have? 2. How were the roles distributed in the team based on Raymond Meredith Belbin team roles model? 3. Are these roles reflected in the daily lives of each participant? How?

THEORETICAL INFORMATION People have noticed long ago that all members of different communities can be grouped into certain types and groups of people with similar characteristics: temperament, way of thinking, patterns of behaviour, ways of responding to one situation or another. Classical old typologies, existing for centuries, are still relevant. Empedocles singled out four main elements: earth, water, fire, and air, and pointed out that each person also has in himself/herself the manifestations of these elements that are weaker or stronger. Hippocrates typologized people by temperament (sanguine, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic), Carl Jung divided people into extroverts and introverts, and Ivan Pavlov emphasized the differences in the activity of the central nervous system. The proposed modern typologies are already becoming more complex and more and more of them are appearing. Some of the proposed models already offer up to a dozen different types that touch on a wide variety of aspects. With regard to typology, it is important to emphasize that there is never a final type of “box” into which a person gets for life and never changes the characteristics of his/her lifestyle or character. Every person, like every member of the team, can fundamentally transform his/her type by experiencing certain experiences, taking certain actions and expressing the intention to change. Of course, this never happens in a short time, but no doubt we should never stereotype one person or another. Within the framework of this session, two typology models are described that can serve to strengthen and empower the team and help each of its members become familiar with the way they participate in the team.

RAYMOND MEREDITH BELBIN TEAM ROLE THEORY Raymond Meredith Belbin, PhD in Psychology, has developed a team role theory, which is successfully used and applied in teams of various scales, when allocating tasks and resources. This recognized classification consists of nine key roles, each of them assigned to a specific team member. According to the author of this

system, the success of teamwork depends directly on how these nine roles are equally distributed in value over the course of the activity and how different team members with each other’s different talents and abilities accept each other when achieving a common goal.

STRATEGIST-ANALYST

THE SOUL OF THE TEAM

MONITOR-EVALUATOR

COORDINATOR

SPECIALIST

PLANT

RESOURCE INVESTIGATOR

THE SOUL OF THE TEAM – this role can often play the role of a team’s “psychologist” as this type of person has a well-developed sense of empathy, the ability to discover a common language and support all team members while maintaining a common good atmosphere and motivation within the team. On the other hand, team members in this role may find it more difficult to deal with emerging stressful situations when there is a need to mobilize resources quickly and to suddenly solve an emerged problem. COORDINATOR is a calm and mature team member who is focused on overall success and results, who sees all the details of the activity, and who is able to allocate responsibilities and delegate activities. The coordinator is good at working with human resources by navigating them. On the other hand, he/she may succumb to the influence of others or delegate too much of his/her own

211

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Roles in the team Gintarė Joteikaitė

responsibilities to others. PLANT is the team member who has a volatile imagination and a non-standard approach to many things and who is able to combine different details and aspects to create new visions and innovations. This type of person is a great team inspirer and visionary who constantly engages the entire team in new visions and poses new challenges to the team without letting them to get stuck in doing the same tasks. Unfortunately, it is harder for a plant to focus on the finer details and tasks because of its drive to constantly conquer new territories and make new contacts. RESOURCE INVESTIGATOR is one of the most communicative team members, who is an extrovert, constantly striving to build new collaborative relationships and explore existing and needed resources. This team member has a very positive attitude towards many things, and this can be very useful in some cases, but, in some cases, at the same time, this type of person lacks a more realistic approach to the current situation. STRATEGIST-ANALYST – this team member is the biggest critic of the whole team, of each of its individual members and of the ideas or hypotheses raised. This type of person has strongly developed analytical thinking, but usually lacks the ability to push the team towards action. MONITOR-EVALUATOR is probably the most responsible team member, who looks at his/her own responsibilities and the responsibilities of the whole team responsibly, scrupulously and attentively. This type of person feels a great responsibility for the qualitative and quantitative indicators the team is seeking for, strives to ensure that all the work is done on time, can sometimes prove to be too strict for his/her team members. SPECIALIST is usually an exceptional team member with highly qualified competencies in a particular important field and who tends to adhere strictly to regulated labour standards and work ethics. Attentive to detail, independent and intelligent. However, such type of person may lack the ability to see the overall broader situation. IMPLEMENTER stands out for his/her organizational skills, discipline and responsible approach to work. Such a person is able to implement theoretical ideas, but is often inflexible and has difficulty accepting innovation, uncertainty, or what is happening “not according to the rules”. Raymond Meredith Belbin points out that when forming a team and carrying out various tasks and projects, it is important to take into account these characteristics of team members and accept them as respectful and

212

unique expressions of members. It is also emphasized that when a team is smaller and it consists of several people, the listed roles may be evenly distributed, i.e., each team member can have multiple roles. META-PROGRAMS Meta-programs are a set of certain psychological filters that determine how a person receives and processes information, how he/she reacts to external stimuli, and in what style he/she reacts in turn. The most characteristic meta-program or meta-programs of a person can be identified from how a person speaks, behaves, from what his or her life story is, and how he/ she makes decisions or interacts with the outside world. This model was developed by psychologist and neurolinguistic programming specialist L. Michael Hall. In his book “Figuring out people”, he singled out 51 metaprogram. Here are some of the key meta-programs he describes: MOTIVATION “FROM” - “TOWARDS” A person who focuses on avoiding negative consequences is a person with motivation “from”. Such a person is more often characterized by fears, hesitations, the desire to avoid negative aspects. A person who has motivation “towards” is focused on future visions, aspirations, goals, usually sees positive visions and speaks in positive phrases. ACT - ANALYSE A person with a tendency to act usually first seeks to perform an action and only then to reflect and analyse the consequences of performing that action. A person with a tendency to analyse first of all seeks to to clarify all the aspects related to the situation and only then to take concrete decisions and actions. INTERNAL REFERENCE - EXTERNAL REFERENCE A person with an internal reference relies primarily on his or her internal decisions, conclusions, analyses, and visions, regardless of the feedback from participants in the external environment. A person with an external reference is a person who focuses primarily on the opinions of others, takes into account feedback, responds to criticism and seeks to respond to the needs of others. SIMILARITY - DIFFERENCE People looking for similarities are conservative people of community and compassion, who seek to see similarities everywhere, are loyal to their choices, and like stability. People who are focused on differences are constantly striving for innovation, tend to argue, strive for otherness and innovation.

MODULE: Formation and empowerment of the group SUBJECT TITLE: Roles in the team

Gintarė Joteikaitė

ENTIRETY - DETAILS People who are focused on the entirety see the global picture perfectly, but tend to lose sight of the individual finer details. Meanwhile, people of details tend to focus on the smaller aspects, they can easily be annoyed by small mistakes, discrepancies. THINK - FEEL Individuals who tend to think are rational-minded individuals for whom facts, scientifically based arguments, and decisions made with a “cold mind” are most important. Meanwhile, people who focus on the emotional world are more confident in their emotions and feelings and make decisions based on them.

The extremes of other meta-programs are distributed in a similar way: there are people who are process-oriented and people who are result-oriented, individuals tend to work individually and with others, individuals tend to dominate, and those who tend to ask and listen to the instructions of others. With regard to meta-programs, it is important to emphasize that there are no “good” or “bad” metaprograms. Each meta-program has its own strengths and weaknesses, which each person has the opportunity to develop, just as by weakening the properties of one meta-program, they can strengthen and develop the properties of another meta-program.

For notes, ideas, observations

213

Template for career-focussed education session

You may fill in this template to create your own unique session to meet the needs of your target group

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

214

You may use this sheet to describe the theoretical material you would be using during the session

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

215

For notes, ideas, observations

216

MODULE IX

EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP METHODS The aim of the module is to provide young people with knowledge about effective tools in leadership communication when solving conflicts, by building relationships based on respect and satisfaction of needs in the team, effectively supporting their team members and looking at situations critically.

217

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Development of conflict situations and their resolution Ekaterina Paderina

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Development of conflict situations and their resolution To acquaint participants with the development of conflict situations and their possible solutions.

2–4 valandos.

Chairs, projector, writing tools.

10–20 participants.

All participants stand in a circle and close their eyes. One participant then chooses a certain sequence of movements. It can be a dance, an exercise or a combination of other forms of movement, most importantly to make the movements as witty as possible and harder to remember. After creating a combination of movements, the participant taps a neighbour next to him/her from the right or left and shows him/her all these movements, and he/she herself/himself also remembers them well. Then all the other participants one by one tap the neighbours next to them in the same direction and each shows the movements as they memorized them. The circle ends at the participant who created this sequence of movements.

“Hot seat” The training leader chooses the topic of the conflict on his/her own or with the help of the participants, for example, a problematic child comes to a social worker at school, a child’s conflict with parents, and so on. In the space, four chairs in a row are placed next to each other. In front of the last chair on the right a fifth chair (“hot seat”), which is turned to the last one, is placed. On this fifth chair sits the main protagonist of the conflict: a disobedient child or other character. Four participants sit in front of the one in “hot seat” in four chairs and they will play the role of an opponent of the conflict, such as a parent, social worker, or so on. Practical tasks

The goal of the participant, who is sitting in the “hot seat”, is to take his position of conflict as fiercely as possible. If he/she doesn’t like something what his/her opponent says and how, he/she can clap hands, and then the opponent sitting in front of him/her moves to the end of the line (the whole line of opponents shifts by one). The aim of the opponents, who are sitting on the four chairs, is to resolve the conflict with the participant, who is sitting in the “hot seat”. In the case, when a participant sitting in a “hot seat” claps his/her hands, it means that he/she wants to end the communication with the current opponent. The opponent then says “THANK YOU” (requirement) and asks “WHY?”. And the participant sitting in the “hot seat” explains why he/she decided to refuse further communication with him/her and clapped his/her hands. At the end of the task, both the participants, who are actively involved in the task, and the observers, reflect on the whole process and the processes that took place.

218

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Development of conflict situations and their resolution

Ekaterina Paderina

End of session reflection methods

Participants are invited in a circle to share and discuss which conflicts they encounter most often and which conflict resolution strategies they choose most often and why.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION A conflict is a clash of different opinions, positions, goals and attitudes that can occur between two or more people. At the heart of every conflict is the conflict situation, the object of the conflict, and the position in the conflict. A conflict situation is a particular person’s attitude to an existing mismatch of attitudes, about himself/herself (his/her goals, possibilities, etc.) and about the opponent – his/her goals, individual and personal characteristics in specific circumstances, and also about how the opponent views his/her own situation. In other words, a person does not agree with another person or a group of people. An object of a conflict is an object (thing), a subject (person, human being) or phenomenon that has become the cause of disagreements. In other words, this is what the parties to the conflict disagree on. Position in the conflict – the desire expressed in words by each party of the conflict. Each of the parties to the conflict expresses their views on the situation concerning the object/subject of the conflict.

CAUSES OF CONFLICTS Resource allocation The parties to the conflict may not agree on ownership, control or transfer of rights in any object or rights. Example: A group of students received 300 EUR for the implementation of the project. Some students want to spend money on a goal, others want to spend more money on their personal needs. Interaction of tasks The parties to the conflict may not agree on the division of tasks or the division of responsibilities. Example: When solving a group school task, a group of students cannot agree among themselves on the division of responsibilities. One task is much more difficult than the others and no one wants to take it on.

Different approaches to goals Conflicting parties find themselves in a situation where, for example, there may be several tasks and each party of the conflict may pursue his/her own personal goals in that. Example: The class received a large assignment, which was distributed to several groups in the class. One of the groups ignores the deadlines of the project and therefore fails to do its part on time. Different approaches to how to achieve a goal Conflicting parties pursue a common goal, but each party has its own personal opinion on the ways in which the goal should be pursued. Example: The group of students gets a rather complex task, some of the students just want to find the prepared information on the Internet, the others want to honestly collect the information, process it and write the paper independently. Unsatisfying communication Conflicting parties pursue a common goal but do not have the ability to express thoughts, emotions, and opinions qualitatively. Or the conflicting parties are separated by a mediator who transmits information badly from one conflicting party to another. Differences in psychological characteristics Conflicts arise when the parties to a conflict belong to different age groups, cultures or have other differences. For example, elder people often have their own personal views on many issues and believe that their age and experience are the most valuable in making a decision. Example no. 1: Teenagers like to wear sneakers without socks, and parents try to force them to put on socks. Example no. 2: A teacher at school wants to get the tasks done from the students in a certain way – as required by the program. Some students look at the task in a creative way and do not design it in the way the teacher requires. As a result, the teacher gets the impression that the students are lazy and look irresponsibly at the performance of the task.

219

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Development of conflict situations and their resolution Ekaterina Paderina

Classification of conflicts

Classification according to participants:

directed towards him/her, the very first and natural reaction is to respond just as aggressively. However, if we consciously observe our reactions, see the growing conflict, and realize that it can be avoided, it is definitely worth avoiding the conflict.

•

interpersonal

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

•

between an individual and a group

1. COLLABORATION

•

intergroup

This is the most effective way of resolving conflicts, when the aim is to discuss the problem constructively and look at it from different perspectives in search of a common solution. Conflicting parties seek to see the situation through the eyes of an opponent and see him/ her as a partner in the search for a common solution. In order to collaborate when resolving a conflict, it is important to reduce the level of emotionality and seek a solution together with the opponent.

Conflicts can be classified in several different ways. In this case we will list three main ways.

Classification according to conflicts’ content: •

conflicts that have a reason are conflicts that are based on a real situation that needs to be resolved;

•

conflicts that have no reason are conflicts that are more likely invented by the conflicting parties themselves. Such situations require more time for reflection than solution in order for the conflicting parties to understand that there is no conflict as such.

Classification according to functionality: •

Constructive conflicts. Such a conflict will result in a positive experience for all parties to the conflict, and skills to solve a specific problem will also be strengthened.

•

Destructive conflicts. Such a conflict causes a lot of negative emotions for all parties to the conflict and can remain unresolved for a long time.

Conflictogens Conflictogens are words and actions that degrade the dignity of another person and at the same time provoke the emergence of destructive conflicts. Most conflictogens are not planned insults, and often a person can raise a conflictogen without even noticing it. Therefore, it is important for each person to monitor their behaviour and refuse behaviours that may offend another person. The main types of conflictogens: •

striving for excellence;

•

manifestations of aggressiveness;

•

manifestations of selfishness;

•

violation of the rules;

•

unfavourable coincidence of circumstances.

HOW TO AVOID CONFLICTS? The basic law of escalation of conflictogens states that a person tries to respond to conflictogens with an even stronger conflictogen, often with the strongest one among all possible. When a person feels aggression

220

Motto: “Together, let’s find a way to resolve this conflict!” 2. ACCOMMODATION It is a forced or voluntary renunciation of one’s personal positions. This strategy may be chosen by the opponent for various reasons: acknowledgement that he/she was wrong, a desire to maintain a good relationship with the opponent, a strong dependence on him/her, or the fact that the problem itself is not particularly serious. The choice of such a strategy is motivated by the feelings of suffering and discomfort caused by the conflict, which the party, who is giving up his/her position, wants to get rid of as soon as possible. Accommodation as a solution can also be chosen when third parties get involved in the resolution of the conflict. Motto: “I agree with your terms, just don’t attack me anymore.” 3. WITHDRAWAL Withdrawal or avoiding solving a problem is an attempt to get out of conflict with minimal loss. Usually, the opponent moves on to this strategy after unsuccessful attempts to realize his/her needs and interests through proactive action. Such a behavioural strategy does not lead to the search for solutions, but to the suppression of the conflict. However, in the event of a long-term conflict, withdrawal can be a fairly constructive solution. A withdrawal strategy is used when there is no time and strength to resolve a conflict in order to gain time, when one has difficulty defining and analysing the consistency of one’s actions, or when there is no desire to resolve the conflict at all. Motto: “Let it be as it is.”

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Development of conflict situations and their resolution

Ekaterina Paderina

4. COMPETITION

HOW TO GET OUT OF DESTRUCTIVE CONFLICTS?

This conflict resolution strategy conceals the struggle of each of the parties to the conflict for their personal position and interests. Competition is justified if the solution of a particular party of the conflict is maximally effective and significant for the results of the whole team and not for one micro-group or a specific person.

•

Refrain from using conflictogens in communication

•

When communicating, avoid answering with the conflictogen when responding to the conflictogen

•

Try to understand the interlocutor’s position when communicating

A competing strategy is effective when the proposed solution is extremely important or there is not enough time to seek a compromise with a competitor.

•

Apologize for your mistakes

•

Notice and express compliments to those around you.

Motto: “Listen, I propose this solution because… (argumentation)”

For notes, ideas, observations

221

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Empathic communication Ieva Severinaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools

Number of participants

Empathic communication

Introduce young people to the methodology of Empathic communication, provide practical tools to build harmonious relationships, resolve disagreements and seek peaceful solutions that include all needs, both in personal life and in a professional environment.

2-2.5 hours.

Projector for presentation, writing board. Chairs (or bean bags or mats). Paper, sticky notes and writing tools for participants. Copies of lists of feelings and needs for all participants. 3–4 printed sets of cards of the needs.

Unlimited, but the most effective number – 15–20 participants.

Icebreaker Game “People’s lives” The game starts with all the participants standing, requires some space for movement. The moderator reads the statements one by one and invites the participants to put his/her hand on the shoulder of a person who in his/her opinion: 1. has been exercising this morning, 2. knows how to cook delicious food, 3. likes to dance, 4. is a good listener, Acquaintance/ team building methods

5. has no stage fear, 6. would donate money to the homeless, 7. hasn’t made the bed this morning. After each statement, give time until all participants intuitively choose the person they think best fits each statement. After the task, it is explained to the participants that we often decide in advance about people, make assumptions or guess about their character, habits, abilities. Sometimes these predictions can be very accurate and help us orient ourselves in the social space, and sometimes our prejudices can interfere with seeing the inside of a person, understanding his/her experiences, and the reasons for his/her behaviour. Empathic communication teaches us to listen deeper and understand each other better, to see what lies behind the assessments. Time to complete the task: 5–7 minutes

222

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Empathic communication

Ieva Severinaitė

Task no. 1. “A step towards connection” Divide the participants into groups of 6–8 people. Invite one participant (volunteer) from each group to stand in front of the other members of the group standing in front of the volunteer at a distance of about 1 meter, who are lining up in one row shoulder to shoulder. Provide a printed “A step towards connection” sheet for each group volunteer. The volunteer reads the phrases one by one written on the sheet, empathizing with the words and emotion with which they could be said. Listeners who are standing in line check how they feel when they hear the phrase and ask themselves – do I feel a greater closeness or distance, a withdrawal from the speaker, when I hear this phrase? If the participant feels greater closeness, openness, acceptance, he/she takes one step forward. If the participant feels the urge to withdraw, the discomfort, the withdrawal, he/she takes one step back. This is how all phrases are read. Additional options: •

A volunteer who reads can check phrases he/she has come up with

•

Group members can exchange, giving others the opportunity to be in the role of reader

Participants are invited to briefly share their impressions and insights.

Practical tasks

This task helps to highlight the power of words in building connection and encourages reflection on how we can express ourselves in order to create more intimacy and peace in a relationship. Time to complete the task: 10–15 minutes. Task no. 2. “Needs Poker” Divide the participants into groups of 4–5 people, invite them to sit in a circle. Distribute one set of need cards to each group, invite them to place the cards on the floor in the middle of their circle. In each group, give each participant 5–7 minutes to share a situation, a problem from his/ her life, in which he/she felt unpleasant feelings. This may be an unresolved problem or an example from the past. While listening to the story, the rest of the group is invited to try to recognize the needs that lie behind the narrator’s feelings. Looking at the cards laid out, listeners are asked to pick up those cards that, in their opinion, seem the most important to the speaker in his or her situation. When the speaker stops talking, the other participants check with him/her to see if the hypothesized needs match the speaker’s feelings by asking him/her: “Is it important to you in this situation (insert word(s) from selected cards of the needs, such as respect, freedom, understanding)?” The set of cards also includes blank cards – they are intended in the case when the listeners see a need that is not mentioned in other cards. In this case, he/she himself/herself can name the word, guess. Important: encourage listeners to refrain from giving advice, comfort, compassion, analysing the situation, or seeking solutions. The purpose of this task is to listen to the story, focusing on and listening to the needs of the speaker and guessing them empathetically. After the task, participants are invited to briefly share insights – 1–2 comments from each group. Time to complete the task: 30 minutes.

223

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Empathic communication Ieva Severinaitė

Task no. 3. “Empathy meditation in pairs” Participants divide into pairs, sit in front of each other and decide who will be the listener first and who will be the speaker. The speaker, listening to himself/herself, to his/her feelings and sensations, shares his/her answer to the question for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, the listener listens to the speaker quietly, attentively, and without interruption. His/her job is to empathetically hold space, focus on the speaker’s experience. An additional test for the listener is to maintain a completely neutral facial expression by refraining from nodding, smiling and other mimes. Practical tasks

After 5 minutes, the roles are exchanged and the listener takes over the role of speaker, answering the same question, and the person who spoke first becomes the listener. This process is repeated with 2 questions: 1. How does the need for freedom manifest itself in you? 2. As you experience this moment deeply, what images, feelings, and sensations emerge? This task is a practice of deep listening to oneself and empathic, attentive listening to another. The additional test of maintaining a neutral facial expression brings interesting insights, encouraging to draw attention to the impact of our body language. Time to complete the task: 20–25 minutes.

End of session reflection methods

Participants are given sticky notes (post-its) and pens. Each participant is invited to write briefly on one post-it what he/she understood, learned during the Empathic Communication session, and on the other – the need that was met (for example, cognition, communion). Invite to adhere the post-its to the appropriate section on the whiteboard: “Today I have found out, understood, learned…” “Today I have met the following of my needs:” Invite everyone to review the information on the board, read each other’s post-its. Take a photo of the board and share it with participants or on social networks.

Notes to the leader

224

The principles of this methodology may be familiar to some participants, heard from other awareness, emotion management, and communication practices. The value of a structured model of empathic communication is best revealed through practice and reflection. To achieve this, it is important to create a safe environment, ensure confidentiality and allow time for discussion, reflection, insights after the tasks. It is important to note that the duration and results of the session will largely depend on the willingness and determination of the participants to share openly and be vulnerable. This methodology has the potential both to be accepted as useful information at the intellectual level and to have a high emotional, experiential depth.

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Empathic communication

Ieva Severinaitė

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Empathetic communication (otherwise known as Nonviolent Communication (NVC)) is a four-step language model developed by the American psychologist Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg. It is a universally adaptable model that helps to avoid miscommunication and conflicts, and to hear the deep-seated common needs of one’s own and others. It is a combination of our thinking, communication, and how we use our power that helps to unlock our innate tendency to give of our own free will from the heart, taking into account the needs of everyone. The goal of empathic communication is to create and maintain a quality, harmonious relationship, when the needs of all are important and actions are not driven by a sense of guilt, shame, fear or duty, but by a sincere desire to enrich life. “Nonviolent Communication shows us a way of being very honest, but without any criticism, without any insults, without any putdowns, without any intellectual diagnosis implying wrongness.” – Marshall Rosenberg

NVC PRIELAIDOS NVC practice is based on several key assumptions. When we live based on these assumptions, self-connection and connection with others becomes a lot easier and simpler. 1. All human beings share the same needs: We all have the same needs, although the strategies we use to meet these needs may differ. Conflict occurs at the level of strategies, not at the level of needs. 2. All actions are attempts to meet needs: Our desire to meet needs, whether conscious or unconscious, underlies every action we take. We only resort to violence or other actions that do not meet our own or others’ needs when we do not recognize more effective strategies for meeting needs. 3. Feelings point to needs being met or unmet: Feelings may be triggered but not caused by others. Our feelings arise directly out of our experience of whether our needs seem to us met or unmet in a given circumstance. Our assessment of whether or not our needs are met almost invariably is based on an interpretation or belief. When our needs are met, we may feel happy, satisfied, peaceful, etc. When our needs are not met, we may feel sad, scared, frustrated, etc. 4. The most direct path to peace is through self-

connection: Our capacity for peace is not dependent on having our needs met. Even when many needs are unmet, meeting our need for self-connection can be sufficient for inner peace. 5. Choice is internal: Regardless of the circumstances, we can meet our need for autonomy by making conscious choices based on awareness of needs. 6. All human beings have the capacity for compassion: We have an innate capacity for compassion, though not always the knowledge of how to access it. When we are met with compassion and respect for our autonomy, we tend to have more access to our own compassion for ourselves and for others. Growing compassion contributes directly to our capacity to meet needs peacefully. 7. Human beings enjoy giving: We inherently enjoy contributing to others when we have connected with our own and others’ needs and can experience our giving as coming from choice. 8. Human beings meet needs through interdependent relationships: We meet many of our needs through our relationships with other people and with nature, though some needs are met principally through the quality of our relationship with ourselves and for some, with a spiritual dimension to life. When others’ needs are not met, some needs of our own also remain unmet. 9. Our world offers sufficient resources for meeting everyone’s basic needs: Once people are determined to value everyone’s needs and have regained the skills to communicate and share resources creatively, we will be able to overcome our current crisis of imagination and find ways to address everyone’s basic needs. 10. Human beings change: Both our needs and strategies to meet them change over time. Wherever we are today, alone or together, all people are capable of growing and changing.

NVC INTENCIJOS The following intentions are also followed when practising NVC, believing that they enrich our lives and contribute to the creation of a world, in which the needs of all are met peacefully. A. Open-Hearted Living 1. Self-compassion: We aim to release all self-blame,

225

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Empathic communication Ieva Severinaitė

self-judgements, and self-demands, and meet ourselves with compassion and understanding for the needs we try to meet through all our actions. 2. Expressing from the heart: When expressing ourselves, we aim to speak from the heart, expressing our feelings and needs, and making specific, do-able requests. 3. Receiving with compassion: When we hear others, we aim to hear the feelings and needs behind their expressions and actions, regardless of how they express themselves, even if their expression or actions do not meet our needs (e.g. judgements, demands, physical violence). 4. Prioritizing connection: We aim to focus on connecting open-heartedly with everyone’s needs instead of seeking immediate and potentially compromised solutions, especially in challenging situations. 5. Beyond “right” and “wrong”: We aim to transform our habit of making “right” and “wrong” assessments (moralistic judgements), and to focus instead on whether or not human needs appear met (needbased assessments).

C. Sharing Power (Partnership) 1. Caring equally for everyone’s needs: We aim to make requests and not demands, thus staying open to the other’s strategies to meet their needs. When hearing a “No” to our request, or when saying “No” to another’s request, we aim to work towards solutions that meet everyone’s needs, not just our own, and not just the other person’s. 2. Improve capacity to share resources according to needs: With the goal of meeting as many people’s needs as possible and protecting the environment, we seek to develop and implement strategies to ensure that global resources are shared in accordance with those needs. 3. Protective use of force: We aim to use the minimum force necessary in order to protect, not to educate, punish, or get what we want without the other’s agreement, and only in situations where we find that dialogue fails to meet an immediate need for physical safety. We aim to return to dialogue as soon as we have re-established a sense of physical safety.

A FOUR-STEP MODEL

B. Choice, Responsibility, Peace 1. Taking responsibility for our feelings: We aim to connect our feelings to our own needs, recognizing that others do not have the power to make us feel anything. This recognition empowers us to take action to meet our needs instead of waiting for others to change. 2. Taking responsibility for our actions: We aim to recognize our choice in each moment, and take actions that we believe will most likely meet our needs. We aim to avoid taking actions motivated by fear, guilt, shame, desire for reward, or ideas of duty or obligation. 3. Living in peace with unmet needs: We aim to work with our feelings when we experience our needs as unmet, connecting with the needs rather than insisting on meeting them. 4. Increasing capacity for meeting needs: We aim to develop our internal resources, particularly our NVC skills, so we can contribute to more connection and greater diversity of strategies for meeting needs. 5. Increasing capacity for meeting the present moment: We aim to develop our capacity to connect in each moment with our own and others’ needs, and to respond to present stimuli in the moment instead of through static stories about who we and others are.

226

The axis of the empathic communication method is four steps that help to return to the awareness of empathic communication, expressed through the abovementioned intentions and assumptions: 1. OBSERVATION •

Actual naming of the situation.

•

Without evaluation. Neutral: neither good nor bad.

•

I perceive this in one or more of my senses.

•

Both parties agree with that, so it helps build consensus.

2. FEELING •

What goes on in my heart (not in my head) in response to what I observe.

•

The feeling refers to what I feel, without the allusions that another person has made me feel that way.

•

It does not include criticism.

•

The feeling is a signal, a message, that my needs are met or not.

3. NEED •

The true roots of the feeling.

•

What is important to me is a universal driving force common to all people, regardless of gender, age,

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Empathic communication

Ieva Severinaitė

culture, religion or political views.

if only you ...”

•

Not a lack of something, but a beautiful dream that we try to express (achieve).

4. Consolation: “It is not your fault, you did as best as you could.”

•

Neutral and abstract: neither good nor bad.

5. Telling: “It reminds me of the time when ...”

•

There is an endless list of strategies for meeting every need.

6. Diversion: “Cheer up. Don’t feel so bad.”

•

The specific actions a person will take to meet a need do not depend on the specific person.

•

Needs never conflict, but strategies to meet needs can conflict.

•

Behind every action and word, we can find at least one need.

4. REQUEST •

Not the requirements.

•

Which are possible to implement.

•

Related to the present moment.

•

Measurable (whether it was done or not).

•

That means I am concerned about the other person’s satisfaction just like my own needs.

The central, most important part of this model is needs. Needs can be identified as resources needed to maintain well-being. For example, our physical wellbeing depends on meeting needs such as air, water, food and rest. Our psychological and spiritual well-being is enriched when needs such as understanding, support, sincerity, or meaning are met.

EMPATHY The basis of the NVC model is empathy. Empathy, or empathic listening, can be termed as a respectful way to show understanding for what a person is experiencing, without regret or approval. Empathy does not require an attempt to sort out or solve problems, rather it is an indication that I want to understand another person’s situation, to understand what it means to be in his/her shoes. Empathy occurs when we no longer value and have no preconceptions about people and listen to their feelings and needs with a truly open heart. It is worth paying attention to other reactions that are common to us and observe what feelings they evoke and how they differ from empathy: 1. Advices: “I think you should …”, “Why don’t you ...?” 2. Underestimation: “It is nothing. Wait until you hear what happened to me.” 3. Moral: “It can be a very positive experience for you,

7. Pity: “Oh, poor you ...” 8. Interrogation: “When did it start?” 9. Explanation: “I would have called, but ...” 10. Correction: “It wasn’t like that at all.”

MODEL APPLICATION The four-step method of empathic communication is applied in three ways: 1. self-empathy is a deep and compassionate perception of one’s inner experience; 2. empathic listening is the ability to listen to another person with deep compassion and understanding; 3. self-expression without criticism is the ability to express oneself sincerely in a way that can inspire compassion in others. The process of self-empathy: 1. I recognize my critical thoughts, sincerely! I list my assessments and accusations (to myself or someone else), realizing that this is just my interpretation. 2. I recognize my observations on the basis of which I interpreted the situation. 3. Sorrow: I have a connection with my feelings revolted as a reaction to the situation. I have a connection to the unmet needs in this situation, I have a deep sense of those needs and their importance in my life. 4. Actions: I notice whether there is a natural request for myself or others that can help me meet these needs. Example: 1. My thoughts: “I am such a loser, unsuitable for anything, I will never find a job!” 2. Observation: I have received my fourth rejection letter this week from a potential employer. 3. Feelings: frustration, anger, helplessness, despair. Needs: self-confidence, self-compassion, hope, competence, progress, result. I dream of reacting more calmly to failures, having patience, and trusting that I will succeed. It is also very important for me to know

227

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Empathic communication Ieva Severinaitė

that I am competent, able to move forward, grow and achieve my goals

2. I blame myself (I make myself a victim, I feel depressed, ashamed)

4. Solution: I could ask a friend to review my resume and maybe he/she would suggest corrections.

Connection:

Self-expression without criticism:

4. I try to listen, predict another person’s possible feelings and needs (empathic listening)

I see/hear (observation)

3. I recognize my feelings and needs (self-empathy)

Example: ……………………………………………………......................................…., I feel (feeling) ……………………………………………………......................................…., because I would like (my need) ……………………………………………………......................................…., Please, could you (request) ……………………………………………………......................................…? Example: “This is the third time you have entered my room without knocking (observation). I feel very annoyed (feeling), because privacy and respect (needs) are important to me. Would you agree to knock and enter my room only when you hear my permission?” Empathic listening: Empathic guesses when listening to the other:

The partner returned home from a meeting with friends at two o’clock in the morning, although he promised to return at ten. 1. I blame the other: “You’re so selfish, you don’t care how I feel at all.” 2. I blame myself: “I am probably too strict and demanding too much from him/her.” 3. I recognize my feelings and needs: “I am very worried and sad. I want more closeness, more time together.” 4. I predict the feelings and needs of the other: “Maybe he felt very happy because it is important for him to have a free choice to engage in his favourite activity as well as spontaneity and quality time with like-minded people?” When we take responsibility for our feelings and recognize and are able to identify our needs, wants, and expectations instead of blaming others, we increase the likelihood that others will respond to us understandingly and compassionately. We have greater opportunities to make a connection, not an exclusion.

Do you feel ........................., because you need (it is important to you) ................................................?

EMPATHETIC COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP

Example: “I noticed that when talking to me you are raising your voice more than usual. Do you feel angry because it is important for you to have the freedom to choose how to spend the evening?”

Principles and skills of empathic communication can strengthen leadership competencies and help in a formal or informal leadership position: •

Deep listening helps to recognize what is important to others and to make decisions that incorporate as many needs as possible, thus increasing people’s involvement, motivation, and confidence.

•

Expressing one’s feelings, needs, and requests without blaming others increases the likelihood of meeting needs in a way that is acceptable to all, giving up behaviour driven by fear, guilt, shame, or a sense of duty.

•

Empathic communication promotes the sharing of power, the equal consideration of people’s needs, when together it is possible to achieve decisions that make everyone win.

THERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO HEAR A NEGATIVE MESSAGE Every time we hear a negative message, delivered verbally or non-verbally, we have a choice of how to react to it. These choices can contribute to a sense of isolation, or, conversely, bring together, to help one feel compassion for oneself and others, thus increasing one’s chances of finding a response or solution that will help meet everyone’s needs. Isolation: 1. I blame the other (I feel anger)

228

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Empathic communication

Ieva Severinaitė

Links to videos about Empathic Communication in English: •

What is nonviolent communication NVC (Kathleen Macferran)

•

Nonviolent communication in a nutshell

•

NVC Marshall Rosenberg – The Basics of Nonviolent Communication

For notes, ideas, observations

229

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Critical thinking Gintarė Joteikaitė

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Critical thinking

To acquaint participants with the concept and theory of critical thinking and during the practical task to strengthen the ability to understand, accept and analyse one‘s own and other people‘s decision-making systems and models of world perception.

2–4 hours.

Chairs, projector, writing tools, printer

10–30 participants

Participants are divided into groups of 4-5 people. Each group is invited to choose the topic of the study they would like to conduct in order to find out opinions on a particular situation or topic. Later, the groups are invited to go outside and speak to people about the topic. Key moments they need to figure out: Acquaintance/ team building methods

•

the position of the survey participants on a particular issue,

•

why people have precisely such an opinion.

The survey takes about 20 minutes. When they return to the training space, the participants create a system for demonstrating the results (they have another 15 minutes for that), which they present to all participants.

The method “Abigail” 4.3.3 “Abigail” 59 4 Intercultural learning “T-kit No. 4” It is a discussion about a sad love story: who is the worst and who is the best? Resources required: Each participant is given one copy of this story. Practical tasks

230

Abigail loves Tom, who lives on the other side of the river. The flood destroyed all the nearby bridges across the river, leaving only one boat in the water. Abigail asks Sinbad, the owner of the boat, to take her to the other side of the river. Sinbad agrees, but demands that Abigail make love with him in return. Abigail doesn’t know what to do and runs to her mother for her advice. The mother replies that she does not want to interfere in Abigail’s affairs. Confused, Abigail makes love with Sinbad, who then takes her across the river. Abigail runs to Tom, hugs him happily, and tells him everything that happened. Tom rejects her harshly and Abigail escapes. Not far from Tom’s home, Abigail meets John, who is Tom’s best friend. She also tells him everything that happened. John beats Tom for what he did to Abigail and goes out together with her.

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Critical thinking

Gintarė Joteikaitė

•

Enough space for participants to work individually, in groups of 4 to 5 people and in a common circle.

Number of participants in the group Minimum 5 participants, maximum 30 (larger groups can be split and the assessment can be done separately). Duration From 1 h 15 minutes to 2 h 15 minutes:

Practical tasks

•

5 minutes for introduction;

•

10 minutes for individual reading and assessment;

•

30–45 minutes for work in small groups;

•

30 minutes for work in a larger group (optional);

•

30–45 minute for evaluation in the common circle.

The course of the task: Introduce participants to a task that will help them identify different values. Ask them to read the story separately and rate each character (Abigail, Tom, Sinbad, Abigail’s mother, and John) according to their behaviour: who behaved the worst, who did a little better, and so on. After participants evaluate the characters, ask them to divide into small groups (3 to 6 people) to discuss how they understand the behaviour of these characters. Task for small groups: to create a common list that all group members would agree to. Ask participants to avoid mathematical calculations when creating a common list, but rather try to make it based on a discussion of what is good and what is bad. After the small groups make up their lists, you can, if you want, repeat this phase by joining 2 small groups together and forming a medium-sized group (if you decide to do that, the initial groups should have no more than 4 people). Evaluate this task in a common circle, first presenting the results and discussing their similarities and differences. Gradually move on to the questions, on what basis the participants performed the evaluations. How could they decide what behaviour is good and what behaviour is bad?

Discussion and evaluation of the method “Abigail” End of session reflection methods

When evaluating, it is important to understand the relationship with the values that influence us in deciding what is good and what is bad. Once we have figured out that, the next step is to see if it is hard or easy to negotiate values in order to make a common list. You can ask participants how they agreed on a common list: which arguments convinced them and why, where was the boundary to understand and support the other. Looking further, one can reflect on “where we have learned to distinguish what is good or bad”.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION Critical thinking is a skill of the thought process which helps to filter the information received and, after properly weighing all the facts, respond to it. As a result, the most accurate picture of reality is created, and the decisions made are correct. Critical thinking provides an opportunity to adequately

analyse the current situation and predict the future. The importance of critical thinking as a skill development could be confirmed by the Dunning-Kruger effect. In 1999, at Cornell University researchers David Dunning and Justin Kruger conducted a series of experiments which proved that incompetent individuals tend to greatly

231

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Critical thinking Gintarė Joteikaitė

overestimate their abilities and be misconceptions about themselves, while competent individuals tend to misjudge others. This means that most people tend to make mistakes when making one decision or another and assessing situations. The key to critical thinking is sincere hesitation about the fairness of your position. Conversely, assured and unbreakable adherence to one’s position indicates a lack of critical thinking skills. Socrates has said: “I know that I know nothing”. This is well illustrated by the three circles of information available to each person:

Things we have no idea we don’t know about.

Things that we are aware of, but we don’t know much about them. Things we know.

listening to Tom’s experience and supporting his side. Fact no. 2: The medication helped Tom. It is also a strong fact based on Tom’s experience that encourages listening to Tom’s experience and adopting it. Fact no. 3: Tom was taking homeopathic medicines. After reviewing various research studies and international consolidated memoranda, information can be found that homeopathic medicines are not reliable and their effects have not been proven. The use of homeopathic medicines is classified as alternative medicine, their prescription is not recommended for patients. Thus, after reviewing all three facts, we can conclude that despite the fact that the medicines were prescribed by a qualified doctor and they helped Tom, such a solution is not scientifically recognized internationally, and after critically evaluating all the aspects, it is likely that Andrew would not choose the indicated medicines. The main aspect on which our decisions are based are the models of world perception, otherwise known as the map of world perception. The model is a visual image of various situations, which is based on many individually formed facts: experience, values, individual imagination and expectations. For example, by knowing the laws of gravity we can predict what dynamics of objects’ movement can be expected. Or, when having a good knowledge of the patterns of behaviour of a particular person, one can predict how he/she will behave in one situation or another in the future. The more scientifically based information, the more accurately it can describe the future and the more it can be trusted. PRINCIPLES OF CRITICAL THINKING: 1. Separate facts from their interpretations and assessments

One of the essential methods of critical thinking which helps to critically address emerging issues and problems is to break down an existing query into finer details and analyse them sequentially. Example: Tom and Andrew have the same health problem. Tom shared with Andrew information about homeopathic remedies prescribed to him by his doctor and these medications helped him perfectly solve the health problem. So, Andrew is currently deciding whether he should try the same medications. How should Andrew address this issue based on critical thinking skills? He should first break down all the facts: Fact no. 1: The medication was prescribed to Tom by a doctor. A doctor is a qualified professional whose opinion can be trusted. It is a strong fact that encourages

232

Models and beliefs of world perception are being formed on the basis of concrete facts 2. To think and to draw conclusions based on rationally weighed and verified evidence It is important to be open to new evidence and facts questioning available conclusions that can encourage us to reconsider and reshape our existing model of reality by transforming the elements within it. 3. Pay attention to the opinion of professionals In case of hesitation, pay attention to the conclusions and opinions of the consolidated groups of specialists, without sticking to the position of individual experts. 4. Do not be afraid to be wrong, to accept alternative opinion and truth

MODULE: Effective leadership methods SUBJECT TITLE: Critical thinking

For notes, ideas, observations

233

Template for career-focussed education session

You may fill in this template to create your own unique session to meet the needs of your target group

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

234

You may use this sheet to describe the theoretical material you would be using during the session

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

235

For notes, ideas, observations

236

MODULE X

IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIAL INITIATIVES The aim of the module is to acquaint young people with the peculiarities of project management and to attract financing in innovative ways: crowdfunding and fundraising.

237

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Project management Alena Dzinman

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Project management

To acquaint participants with project management methods.

Duration

From 2 hours to a month (there may be a longer period of time required to complete the practical task).

Location and tools

Computers or telephones, writing tools, projectors, whiteboard, sticky notes, chairs, tables.

Number of participants

5–20 participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

The training leader creates a tasks’ performance process board (mentioned in the theoretical part), on which in the section “To Do List” he/she affixes sticky notes with several different tasks, for example, to talk to three passers-by, to water flowers, to wash dishes, to find information on the Internet, to make sure there is water in the space, to take care of a coffee break and so on. Participants are invited to introduce themselves and choose which of the tasks mentioned in the sticky notes they would like to focus on, and to write their name on the appropriate sticky note. While the tasks are being completed, the sticky notes are moved to the “In progress” and “Completed” sections.

Practical tasks

This visual presentation of the task completion process has many advantages: at any moment it is possible to see what is going on, what is being done, what has been done and how many tasks remain to be completed. The approximate number of hours required to complete each task is written down, but only an experienced project manager knows how many hours should be provided for each task. The task of the project manager is to select enough tasks for the first sprint so that the team can complete them, calculate and distribute the tasks so that the participants have enough time to complete this sprint on time. So the work of the project manager is quite complicated as there are still force majeur circumstances. Someone can get sick, the computer can fail and all work can be lost. And in general, there are other similar things that can happen during a project, and the project manager needs to take that into account. Project manager takes into account the risks and, as far as possible, everything that can happen to the project.

End of session reflection methods

238

Participants are invited to choose one of the project management methods – “Flexible” or “Waterfall”, and, based on it, to plan and implement a group initiative or project. Full creative freedom is given – it can be a project to improve services at a school, university or youth centre, an educational program, a social initiative, a product and anything else. It would be great if participants could devote at least a week, and perhaps even more time, to the task. They could then experience all parts of the chosen project management method. Participants are also invited to create and use in the team the tasks’ performance board mentioned in the theoretical information section.

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Project management

Alena Dzinman

Notes to the leader

Following the implementation of the initiative, participants are invited to reflect on what personal skills they have strengthened, what challenges they have faced and how they have managed to overcome them, both as a team and individually. Participants are also invited to share how they managed to use the tasks’ performance monitoring board.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT The ability to manage projects today is critically needed in all areas. This applies not only to professional activities, but also to the organization of your personal life in general. We will consider two approaches to any project management, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and understand in which cases to apply which approach. There are two conceptually different models of project management: Waterfall and Agile. The names of course convey all the concepts of how it works, but we will figure it out in more detail. Approach to project management Waterfall. For example, you have point A, the beginning of the project, and point B, the end of the project. In the Waterfall project management model, you do everything in stages, completing fully each stage. For example, you are building a website. First, business analysis is done, then design, followed by site layout and programming, and then testing. This is a fully direct step-by-step way of managing and implementing projects. It has been used quite often and for a long time. In this case, you already know in the beginning what the result of the project should be, you have a clearly developed plan which is divided into tasks. The next task is performed only after the previous one is completed. What are the disadvantages? Let’s imagine that you have an idea for a project and it seems to you that everyone really needs the project and will definitely make a profit. You begin to make it from start to finish and bring it to the perfect solution, you launch it on the market and expect that the created product will start to make a profit. But for some reason that doesn’t happen. Then you think that something else needs to be done and then it will definitely work. And here again there is a possibility that nobody needs the project, or doesn’t need it as it is at the moment. You have wasted time, money, team resources to create a project that nobody needs.

management, is now being applied to project management. To put it very simply, the essence of this approach is to do the project in small iterations (sprints), where at the end of each we get the finished product in its minimal version. That is, after a certain period of time, for example, every month we will release a working model of this product and check how it works. A sprint is the amount of time it takes to create one workable version of your product. As a rule, this is 2–3 weeks. We plan what we want to do during this time, make a list of tasks and do it. Here the project goes through several stages: 1. Planning. We need to determine what specific tasks we will perform in the current sprint, determine how long it takes to complete each task, and set the priority of these tasks. 2. Direct development. At this stage, we carry out the planned tasks to the extent that we determined at the planning stage. 3. Next comes the testing stage. It would be great to collect user feedback. Give a product to try, test it yourself and collect a list of improvements that need to be implemented in order for the product or project to develop. 4. Retrospective. At this stage, the team gathers and, based on the feedback received, discusses how the product can be improved. And then the next sprint follows the same pattern. Planning new improvements, implementation, testing, retrospective.

That is why flexible approach, or agile project

239

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Project management

Planning

For example, you want a site to sell something, instead of paying $20,000 to $30,000 right away for that site, you make its first minimal version. Keep it as minimal as possible to test if this product works. You do all the same things: design, layout, and programming, but to such a small extent that guarantees this product is finished at this stage. It may have a bad design, or it may even be a white picture with markup, it may not have an adaptive layout, which means it does not adapt to the mobile screen, there may be some ready-made scripts that are not programmed, but are connected, i.e. this first version should require from you minimal resources, both financially and timewise. And most important of all, you go and test the idea. You figured out that it would work, and you go to your users and say, there is an MVP, that’s what they say about a product with minimal features, but through which you can test how this product works. You make this MVP and you go to the user. Users test and say: “Look, the idea is great, but it lacks this, but if it were so-and-so, it would be better.” You write down all feedback from users and start planning for the second stage, so you are already planning tasks for the second sprint that could improve your product. You finish it. And then you do the same thing: you go to your users and test this version of the product. Users test again, give you feedback, and you improve the product again. And this cycle can be endless, depending on what your budget is and at what point in this whole long process you start earning on this product and investing in its further development. This Agile model is flexible. And we recommend using it both in personal life and in professional activity. Surely you have noticed that when you want to do something and want to do it absolutely perfectly or are, for example, waiting for that perfect moment. I am going to be fluent in English, but that moment doesn’t seem to arrive. And it is very difficult for everything to come together at one point, for everything to be perfect. Therefore, this is the art of small steps: you take the minimal first step and

240

Development

Te st in g

ve specti

Sprint 4

Retro

ve specti

Planning

Development

Te st in g

Planning

Sprint 3

Retro

Sprint 2

Development

Te st in g

ve specti Retro

Sprint 1

Development

Retro

ve specti

Te st in g

Alena Dzinman

Planning

see what happens. But there are times when Agile won’t work. For example, when you want to build an airplane. Here you can’t build a hull from some simple material, and not to take a very good and high-quality engine because we need to check whether the plane is going to fly or not. Of course, we will not build an airplane or rockets using Agile. This is already pure Waterfall, where everything goes in stages, until it is done, so you can’t go on to this. Flexible approaches to project management bring a huge number of advantages: •

you make a product based on user needs and constantly check the relevance of your idea

•

both financial and time development are reduced

•

the whole team is involved in making decisions on the further development of the product.

costs

for

product

Now we will take a closer look at the interaction of the team with each other when conducting an Agile project. In order to constantly update the current state of the project and to maintain the team’s enthusiasm, daily meetings (stand-ups) are held. These meetings are hold standing up for a small amount of time. At these meetings, each member of the team answers 3 questions: 1. What have I done to achieve the result (what task have I completed)? 2. What am I going to do today? 3. What did not work for me or what prevented me from achieving the planned result? This allows the team to always understand at what stage the project is, as well as to jointly solve the issues/ problems that arose during the implementation of the project.

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Project management

Alena Dzinman

In addition, for clarity, a special board is used. It can be done on a large board in the classroom, or using online tools (for example, trello.com) Let’s take a simplified look at the board.

Backlog tasks

In Progress 2

Done 1

4 5

First column: backlog tasks. This is a list of tasks for the sprint. We write them on separate stickers, on which we also write the planned number of hours. All stickers are placed in the first column. Then all project participants choose their own tasks, write their name on the sticker and move the sticker to the second column (In Progress). This means that work is underway on these tasks. As soon as the work is completed, the sticker is moved to the Done column and the person again chooses the next task for herself or himself. The idea is for one person to have only one task at a time.

It’s very visual. At any moment we see what is in progress, what is being done, what has been done and how much is left in the backlog of these tasks. And an approximate number of hours is still written for each task, but it is the project manager with experience who knows how many hours to schedule for a task. And now the task of the project manager is to create as many tasks for the first sprint as the team can complete, calculate and distribute the work so that the team has time to complete this sprint on time. This is the difficulty of a project manager’s work, among other things, because there are force majeure factors. Someone can get sick, the computer can break down and then all the work disappears. In general, there are such things that really happen with projects and the project manager needs to take all this into account. The project manager takes into account the risks, as much as possible everything that can happen to the project.

For notes, ideas, observations

241

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Attracting funding Nadzeya Putsiata

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Attracting funding

Introduce participants to innovative ways to attract funding via personal initiatives.

2–4 hours

Writing tools, projectors, computers, sticky notes.

5–20 participants

Participants are invited to divide into groups of 4–5 people. Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

242

Groups are provided with a list of 3–5 tasks, the main purpose of which is to get tools or to raise funds money on the street on a charitable basis, for example, to get free coffee or three writing tools from passers-by on the street, to collect a certain amount of money for a specific purpose or item, to get as many items as possible in the supermarket for free or the like. 15–30 minutes are given to complete the task. Participants then reflect on how successful they were and how they felt in assimilating this experience.

Participants are invited to choose one of the methods of attracting funding – crowdfunding or fundraising, and, based on it, to plan and implement a group initiative or project using the theoretical knowledge acquired. Full creative freedom is given – it can be a project to improve services at a school, university or youth centre, an educational program, a social initiative, a product and anything else. It would be great if participants could devote at least a week, and perhaps even more time, to the task. They could then experience all parts of the implementation of the chosen initiative. If it is not possible to implement a long-term project, participants are invited to create a plan for a potential project and present it to other participants.

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Attracting funding

Nadzeya Putsiata

THEORETICAL INFORMATION COLLECTING DONATIONS: CROWDFUNDING AND FUNDRAISING Crowdfunding is a collective collaboration of people who voluntarily pool their money or other resources together, usually via the Internet, to support the efforts of other people or organizations. Collecting donations (fundraising) means attracting third-party resources for the implementation of socially significant tasks, cultural projects or maintaining the existence of an organization. The process of collecting donations involves finding potential donors, who can be both individuals and companies. In general, these are two similar terms that are often confused. I would conditionally distinguish them as follows: •

•

If you are raising money to create a product: a book, a game, an application, a smart watch, etc. And people who donate you money will then receive this product. So in essence, they are pre-ordering from you. HERE it is better to use the CROWDFUNDING tool When you are raising money for a social project: orphans, an architectural monument that has burnt down, helping the elderly, and so on. So essentially the donor who gave you their money is just doing a good deed, but getting nothing in return. In that case the FUNDRISING tool is better for you.

There are a few more differences between these two tools. Crowdfunding most often works on an all-or-nothing basis (but not always, it depends on the site). That is, you either collect the entire declared budget and get the money, or you collect less than the declared budget and the money is returned to sponsors. Fundraising platforms do not have that option. But some fundraising sites have another nice feature: you can receive monthly donations from the same person by subscription. This is how, for example, Patreon works. Such sites are suitable for creative projects, creators, who are constantly in the creative process, but at the same time do not receive any money at the moment. But in general, there is little difference between the two tools. Therefore, I will mostly give the example of raising money through crowdfunding. But all this can be applied when collecting funds through fundraising platforms. Let’s go! :)

Introduction: When you choose a site for collecting donations, be sure to check which projects there end up successful or collect overfunding. It will be easier to promote such projects on that site, because its users are already used to supporting this type of projects. For example, on Ulej.by (a Belarusian crowdfunding platform), the most popular projects are the publication of books. And on Kickstarter, it’s about creating an application, game, or hardware product. Crowdfunding has a number of nuances: First, you offer to pay for something that hasn’t been produced yet (something that doesn’t exist yet). Second, you offer to pay for a project that may not at all attract a sufficient amount of money and pre-orders, and therefore will not be implemented. Third, backers have to wait. Average campaign duration is 30–60 days. On top of that, you need to consider time for project implementation, production and delivery. This means that it is not easy to “sell” an idea presented as part of a crowdfunding project, and there are nuances to project preparation.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROJECT Readiness By the time the crowdfunding campaign is launched, the product must be finalized and fully ready for production. If we are talking about a book, then it must be written, designed and ready for printing. If you are developing a gadget, then you must have a working prototype. If the goal of the project is to open a new space for a workshop or café, you must have found a room and prepared a design project. If you are planning to hold an event, prepare a program, select participants, decide on a date and location. Make sure you know about any required approvals and that all permits are obtained. This also applies to urban projects: any art object or reconstruction requires prior approval from local authorities. More groundwork means more credibility. The more work you do yourself, the more convincing your project will look. This means that the likelihood of success of the crowdfunding campaign will be higher.

243

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Attracting funding Nadzeya Putsiata

Originality

in the summer, so selling a water gun in the winter and woollen socks in the summer will be difficult. Moreover, you need to focus primarily not on the launch date of the campaign, but on the delivery date. For example, let’s say you run a T-shirt preorder campaign in June that runs until early August, but the T-shirts are shipped to users in September. The demand for T-shirts in September will not be the highest.

This does not mean that the project cannot have analogues. But it must have properties that make it stand out from existing ones. Functionality, convenience, aesthetics, great quality or cool service can all be the very qualities that make your project successful. We are all familiar with the Uber service. It’s basically the same as a taxi service. But earlier, in order to call a taxi, you had to call the dispatcher, wait for their answer, and then confirm the call with the phone in your hand. You needed cash, there was no opportunity to directly contact the driver, see their rating and evaluate their work yourself. Consequently, there were issues with the service. Uber solved all of the above problems, although the service remained the same: you will be taken from point A to point B. But the process has become more convenient. This can be any feature that makes your product unique. In 2018, a project was launched on the Ulej website to order silk scarves [https://ulej.by/project?id=484164] with a designer print. It should be noted that we are talking about a thing of the premium segment and its corresponding price, and we are not afraid of that word combination. But these prints are unique, and the scarves are so beautiful that the project quickly attracted the right amount of pre-orders. Another such example is ZHART T-shirts [https://ulej.by/ project?id=112671] with Belarusian prints. We wear them ourselves. These T-shirts have cool prints and excellent quality. In addition, having achieved a certain volume of orders, the guys managed to significantly reduce the production price, which means that they made the product even more attractive to backers. Including for us. Every third place in Minsk makes a burger, and many do it quite well. But the guys at Burgerlab [https://ulej.by/ project?id=682589] love burgers and the philosophy of street food in general. The idea of making street food special, with creativity and a great love for business are what made the Burger on Wheels project a success. Relevance A well-known proverb says “A spoon is dear when lunch time is near”, and an experienced SMM specialist will notice that the lifespan of some news feeds is only a day or two. You need to understand that time factors can also affect the success of a crowdfunding project. What we recommend to check before starting: •

Seasonality. Generally, people don’t prepare sleds

244

•

Event. As in the case of seasonality, New Year gifts will be relevant in December. By the way, if you launched the project a couple of months before the holiday, do not forget to remind users that they can also take care of gifts for March 8 or February 14 in advance.

First backers Before starting a campaign, you need to find your first potential buyers, and at the same time find out how much they are willing to pay for it. Plus, this is your chance to collect feedback: study their first reactions and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the product. This process is called testing the demand. There are quite a few techniques and methods. Here are some of them: 7 ways to test your idea [https://rb.ru/howto/how-to-test-your-idea] Check your business before launching [http://startupukraine.com/blog/test-your-idea] Save money and time [http://tilda.education/articles-business-idea-test] Choose the one that suits best your needs. By doing so, by the time the campaign is launched, you will have formed a community of early backers. Start project groups on social networks. They will allow you not to lose contact with backers and share project news with them, and allow backers to give feedback and exchange opinions. In addition, these people will be able to provide the project with informational support by sharing the news about the launch of the crowdfunding campaign on their pages in social networks. More subscribers mean more coverage. The larger the coverage, the more chances for a great start and for the success of the project as a whole. Team One person is enough. But pulling a project alone is not an easy task. The project needs a leader and a team with

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Attracting funding

Nadzeya Putsiata

clear division of tasks and responsibilities.

no functional load or impact on the result. Hats, T-shirts, mugs, magnets and badges require money to produce, their benefits are very conditional, but they will increase the budget of your crowdfunding campaign. Think of alternatives that are emotionally more appealing but will hardly require you to spend money on them.

Consider who will be responsible for the design of the project and who will be in charge of the advertising campaign. List of lots You need to come up with a list of rewards (lots) for backers. The question often arises as to what the cost of the rewards should be. Our answer to you is to focus on the existing market and offers. The price should be competitive and should not be overpriced. A T-shirt with a project logo for 100 rubles is not the most interesting offer. Here are some life hacks for preparing a list of rewards: •

•

Determine the base lot. The base lot is often what you launch crowdfunding campaigns for. A released book, a recorded music album, a ticket to the organized event. All subsequent combinations are formed based on the base lot. Early Birds is a lot where you offer to buy a product on especially favourable terms. It could be a super low price, or an added bonus to your purchase. The number of such offers is limited, so such lots make you want to support the project here and now, without delay. This will allow you to quickly attract the first backers.

•

Combinations. Now think about variations on the base lot + bonus. A book with the author’s autograph, a musical album with an invitation to the presentation, tickets for a performance in the first row. Increase the quantity: two tickets, a set of three T-shirts. However, do not forget that the cost of a unit in a set is always lower.

•

Gratitude of lots. You can add a lot for those who do not want to buy your product, but probably just want to support your initiative. Such a lot is offered for a minimum amount. This lot sounds like a simple thank you. Sometimes the authors will offer a postcard or sticker pack as a thank you for supporting the project.

•

Lots for companies. Consider lot options for large sponsors. For example, 20 books at a bargain price, or a group workshop. If a project shows good fundraising momentum, organisations can take notice of it. This could be a store that orders a product for sale, or a company that purchases gifts for employees or partners. Discard unnecessary merchandise. Eliminate anything that adds to the project budget but has

Budget There is no perfect budget. There is also no universal sum that any project will raise. The budget of a crowdfunding campaign should first of all be based on the amount that is needed to implement your project. The rest depends on how interesting your project will be for backers. The budget consists of: •

Project implementation costs (product manufacturing, premises rent, project promotion costs, etc.).

•

Additional expenses (remuneration, payments for specialists, other expenses for the campaign).

•

Platform and payment system fees.

•

Taxes.

NOTE: In addition, check which countries’ residents are allowed to launch projects on the platform of your choice. We also recommend you to: 1. Make the budget as minimal as possible. The situation can be ambiguous: you can do it cheaper and better, or you can do it more expensive and better. Perfection has no limits, but it is better to be guaranteed the required amount than to collect nothing. 2. Find the most effective and low-cost way to implement a project by comparing options (publishers, sites, factories) and choose the most profitable and suitable one. Promotion plan At this stage, you already have an idea of your target audience and you know how much your potential backers are willing to pay for your product. Now you need to develop a promotion plan. And this must be done in advance. Why is it important? Without promotion, the project will not attract either backers or money. This is an axiom. Therefore, you should not launch a project and wait for a miracle—it will not happen. The main aim of promotion is to reach enough people in

245

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Attracting funding Nadzeya Putsiata

the right places. Calculate your reach This is where the science that one has loved since school days—mathematics—comes into play. Your task is to disseminate as much information as possible about the running project. More news means more coverage. The larger the coverage, the more clicks to the project page. The more clicks on the page, the more payments you get. The click-through and payment statistics will differ for different projects. For example, out of 20 people who read the news, 1 will go to the project page. 1 out of 20 people who went to the site will end up paying. This means that in order to receive one payment, 400 people must see the news about your project. If a project needs to attract 300 backers, then a total of 120,000 people should see an article or post about the campaign. As we already said, metrics can shift in one direction or another depending on your product, target audience and the tools that you will use for promotion. Ways and channels of promotion Most of the promotion work is done online. Tools that allow you to distribute a direct link to your project work best. You need to use every opportunity to tell about the project, and below you will find some ways and channels of promotion: 1. The loyal core. Friends, relatives, colleagues, first fans of the project. Involve them in what is happening. Ask for news and opinions.

media for your project. At the same time, do not forget about the target audience. 5. Business and corporate newsletters. Involve business as project partners: sending newsletters to employees often shows excellent results. 6. Paid advertising. For example, on social networks. In some cases, it gives a good result. Whether to use it or not is up to you. But if you decide to use this tool, find someone who understands the topic. 7. Additional news feeds. Situational Marketing. From time to time, the Internet is full of certain news that everyone discusses. Try to get involved and play on it. 8. Flash mob. The main thing is to think over the topic and the message well: it should not be too complicated, and at the same time exciting—then it will be catchy. It is advisable not to launch a flash mob alone, but to collect at least 20 people: this way it will gain popularity faster. And don’t forget to come up with an easy-to-write and original hashtag: this will help backers find more information about the project online. 9. Radio and television. As we said, going to radio and television will work great in terms of project recognition. It is likely to attract new backers as well. 10. Offline events and meetings with backers. A master class, a trip to a trade show, or a public reading will all help you get to know your backers and create the necessary buzz around what’s going on.

2. Opinion leaders, bloggers. There is always more trust in a person. Opinion leaders have their own audience and a blog post can give a project more than an article in a small media outlet. The main thing is to make the right choice. And it depends on the topic of the project: if your project is about healthy lifestyle, look for fitness enthusiasts, if it is related to preschool education, look for mothers among bloggers. The reverse logic works the same here: don’t ask a vegan to advertise a burger if the burgers aren’t made from falafel. It will be ideal if they not only write and tell subscribers about your project, but also support it themselves. Think of something you can offer them as a thank you for their participation.

Make a promotion plan

3. Online communities. Aside from the big news portals that come to your mind first, don’t forget about forums and communities. There are times when your audience is already gathered on a particular resource or public domain.

The action plan can be roughly divided into 3 stages: Attack, Siege, Storm.

4. Online media. Make a list of the most appropriate

246

You set the term of the crowdfunding campaign yourself. Fundraising is usually allowed from 1 to 180 days. The optimal period for a crowdfunding campaign is considered to be from 30 to 45 days. We do not recommend prolonging the campaign period: this does not at all stimulate backers to make a purchase immediately, and those who pay at the start will have to wait too long. Prepare a plan for online and offline activities: the channels you are going to use, the events in which you are going to participate. Distribute activities by day and week. Action plan

1. Attack: •

The attack should be designed for the first week of active actions after the launch

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Attracting funding

Nadzeya Putsiata

•

The first few hours. Activate a loyal audience to collect your first 5% from friends and community. These should be pre-prepared people who have been actively waiting for the launch of your campaign.

•

Once your project has attracted a minimum amount of money, connect bloggers and opinion leaders.

•

After that, connect major media and news resources.

•

Then go to niche media, post information about the project in blogs and communities.

2. Siege.

as well as videos. 4. Make a plan for social media posts. Create a publication schedule and prepare text templates. The plan can include both publications on the project pages, and publications agreed in advance on the pages of bloggers and opinion leaders. 5. Prepare your ad campaign and creatives. Decide if you will use paid promotion and determine the budget and channels. Make a timetable. Choose pictures and texts.

•

This period, which takes several weeks in the middle of your crowdfunding campaign, is usually characterized by low backer activity. Information about the campaign is no longer new and interesting.

6. Consider what else you can do in advance and do what you can. Remember, we recommend that you simply draft the plan. But you yourself have to figure out what is right for your crowdfunding campaign. Surely, you can think of something else as well.

•

Hold your positions. Be visible with a variety of promotions and flash mobs.

CAMPAIGN DESIGN

•

Engage offline events and monitor news feeds.

3. Storm

You already know the unique properties of your product, its benefits, and it represents your target audience. Now you need to design the project page on the site.

•

In the last 2–3 days of a crowdfunding campaign, you simply have to provoke a second rush.

•

It is for this purpose that the project needs a final leap. The last days before the end of the campaign is the time to use all forces: connect a loyal audience and opinion leaders, send out a newsletter to the media

The campaign design consists of the following parts:

“You have 2 days left” is the main message with which you will re-contact potential backers. Publish information in project communities and launch ads. Everyone who has postponed should know that there is no time left for reflection and it is time to make a purchase.

4. Author’s card.

•

Prepare materials 1. Make a list of ways and channels of promotion with all the necessary contacts. Create a table where you can post lists of influencers, bloggers, communities and media with contacts and links. 2. Write a press release. Prepare a general template, which will contain basic information about the project and the most important points: what, why, when and where. Facts, statistics, unique properties of the product, author’s comment. Then prepare adaptations for thematic media targeting the audience of the publication. 3. Prepare a press kit. The press kit includes a press release and all visual information: product photos, teams, advertising banners and any other information about the project presented graphically,

Design structure 1. Project card. 2. Project video. 3. Project description. Project card The project card consists of a title, a short description and a cover. This is a thumbnail of the project, which will appear on the main page of the site, and will also be displayed via a link when someone shares information about the project on social networks or messengers. The project card is the first thing people see. Its aim is to convey the idea of the project. Name. Reflects the essence of the project. Short description. It reveals the essence as much as possible, and ideally sounds like a slogan (we adore the brief description of the Opium project, which sounds like the most honest performance of 2016) Project cover. Original, solid, noticeable. Looks good in full size and in preview mode. Don’t use low-quality pictures and pictures with several small elements. Project video The purpose of the video is to introduce you, your product

247

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Attracting funding Nadzeya Putsiata

and its benefits to potential backers. The story of the video can be borrowed from the project description, which is discussed in the next block.

that will help learn more about the project: links to articles, photos, videos, excerpts from books, links to social networks and other contacts, a list of media partners and acknowledgements.

Below are some tips for preparing the video: •

You can make the video yourself. Let’s appreciate the digital age and cameras in our smartphones. In order to record the video, you will need a phone, a tripod and good lighting.

•

In order to record high-quality sound, a lavalier microphone is enough. It can also be rented.

•

The optimal length of the clip is 60–90 seconds

•

In general, there are 2 types of clips that are used: one demonstrates a product and the other tells a story by the author. Having chosen the second option, pay attention to the background picture.

Project description The project description consists of pictures and text, which can be divided into several blocks. Remember that it is advisable to use images in each block. Below is a basic version of the structure, from which you can start: •

Introductory remarks by the author. In two or three sentences, tell us what the main idea of the project is and why it is so important (to you)

•

Description of the product and its main advantages. Describe your project, stating the main and most important details. Tell us what makes it special.

•

Talk about the additional characteristics of the product that will provide a more accurate representation of the product. Don’t forget that backers can’t turn and look at your product from all angles. Therefore, it is important to provide complete information about it: its colour, weight, size, shape and material. If it is a book, specify its format, the quality of paper and cover, the number of pages, and inform whether it will have illustrations, and post a spread image.

•

List of rewards and the shipping information. List all the rewards, indicate the time frame and mention the delivery methods of the rewards: either by mail or by using self-pickup.

•

Project team and additional contacts. It is interesting for everyone to see the people behind the project: the designer, the photographer, the author of the text. Therefore, feel free to post team photos on the campaign page. Provide a contact point where you can be contacted by backers or journalists.

•

Also share additional information and everything

248

SECRETS OF DESIGN Preparing graphics •

Use graphics for key information: specifications, lot listing, team photos.

product

•

Use original graphics. Pictures obtained from a search engine will not work. Don’t forget that other people’s photos may be copyrighted.

•

Avoid bad colour combinations and an abundance of fonts.

•

In addition to Photoshop and Corel, which are traditionally used by designers, there are other simple and convenient services. We appreciate Canva ([https://www.canva.com]) very much.

Writing text The ideal text is well-written, short and structured. It is simple and accessible, without clichés and complex phrases—don’t go over the top! Try to talk about the project the way you would tell a friend about it. However, don’t forget that the task of the description remains the same: to give a complete overview of the product. User profile Provide full information about yourself: add a photo, indicate contacts, post links to your profiles on social networks. This will allow backers to contact you in case they have questions, and will also make life easier for journalists or companies if they want to support the campaign or publish material about the project. Launching and running a campaign The project is completed, the team is assembled, the promotion plan is ready, press releases are written, packaged, message templates for opinion leaders are drawn up. Moment X has arrived—the project is being launched on the site. Now you have to pull yourself together and start active work—the first day after the launch is the most exciting and important. You can make it! Implement the plan A promotion plan drawn up in good faith makes life a lot easier. Your job is to follow the plan and be flexible: keep an

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Attracting funding

Nadzeya Putsiata

eye on what’s going on and don’t miss opportunities to get additional PR. Observe the information space and the news feeds, the reaction of the audience, and don’t forget to analyse what works and what doesn’t. Communicate with backers It is very important that you have active interest, participation and presence in the project. Share the news of the project and thank those who support it. Backers are the most important people, because the project is being implemented with their help. A person who is emotionally involved in the project will bring along two, three or five more people. It’s been proven in practice. However, you need to be friendly not only with those who bring money to the project. You need to react to any interest: answer questions, use chat, and be polite even with someone who is negative. Work with the project page •

Update the project page during the campaign.

•

Publish news and post links to articles.

•

Don’t forget to reply to comments and private messages.

Have you collected 100%? High five! You are our pride and role model. What to do next? 1. Thank the backers. Write a comment on the project page on the website and in social networks. 2. Update the project description. Tell us why the project needs additional funding and how you plan to use these funds. 3. Keep up to date information on project implementation and reward delivery. Now you know for sure that the project will be implemented. It’s time to confirm the information about the dates and locations. Afterparty The end of fundraising does not mean that all activities can be closed. By disappearing from the radar, you are making a big mistake, losing the trust and loyalty of the backers that made your project a success. The project is not considered implemented until you have fulfilled everything promised in the crowdfunding campaign, and until the backers have received their rewards. 1. Stay in touch and let backers know how the project is going. 2. Warn of delays and difficulties if they arise. By

warning about them, you will maintain the loyalty of the community. Silence will backfire. 3. Remind others of the methods of delivery and receipt of lots, as well as of ways to contact you in case of questions.

WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY. BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND THE PROJECT Who needs to build a community? 1. A social project needs to form a community of caring people around and develop your social project 2. A commercial project needs to form a community as one of the non-competitive advantages (those advantages that are difficult for your competitors to offer and copy). That is, for example, you have a great product. But another bigger company comes along, copies your product, invests more money in promotion and lowers the price. What should you do? And another situation: you have a great product and a loyal community. A competitor comes in, copies your product, invests in marketing and gets ... instead of sales, aggression from your loyal community and a bad reputation in the market. A community is a group of people with common goals and interests. It is the presence of common goals that simply distinguishes a group of random people from a formed and stable community. So, the first thing to do is to define the purpose of your community and what will bring people together. For example, we wanted to form a community of teachers who wanted to make school education in Belarus better. We knew that individually these teachers existed, but no one had brought them together yet. For this, we made a big conference and created a Facebook group. Since then, two years have passed and the group functions successfully and is growing on its own. By the way, this is one of the ideal options for creating a community—to make it so that it can exist practically without a moderator and create content itself. But for this condition to be fulfilled, people must be united by a clear, precise and relevant goal. As in this case: the desire to make schooling better. Second, you need to create a comfort zone for the community to exist. And for this you need to understand the following: 1. What kind of people can potentially become members of your community? How old are they? What are their interests? How do they behave? What are their dreams? Try to learn as much as possible about them.

249

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Attracting funding Nadzeya Putsiata

2. Where do they spend their time? Do they spend time on Facebook and Instagram? Or are they even against using social media? What events do they go to? 3. How do they communicate? Do they follow proper communication rules? Or do they prefer informal dialogues? Do they need a moderator? Or do they dislike interference with their communication? Based on the information received, you should create a platform for communication that is suitable for them, a group on Facebook, for example, and maintain a pleasant atmosphere for communication there. Stand up for members of your community and inform newcomers of the rules of conduct in the community. Third, nothing unites people like personal acquaintance. Consider options for events where your community can get to know each other, have a good time and strengthen their love for your community. Make a plan for such events at least a few months in advance. How to organize events is described in this tutorial.

form an active core of the community. Tell them how important they are, and ask for help. After all, the active core is one of the signs of an already formed and stable community. It is very important. Love them and support them. Consider your plan how to retain and engage the active core in your organization. And fifth, there must be a bright leader in the community. The one to whom they will turn to in any difficult or joyful situation. Someone who will represent the community and talk about its goals and values. So here are just five points to help you build a successful community: 1. Clear, precise and engaging goal 2. Comfortable area for community members to socialise and share activities 3. Events that will allow you to meet offline 4. Loyal core of the community 5. Bright leader

Fourth, you will soon notice the most active members of your community. They will write more often, go to events and help other members of the community. Let them

For notes, ideas, observations

250

MODULE: Implementation of social initiatives SUBJECT TITLE: Attracting funding

For notes, ideas, observations

251

Template for career-focussed education session

You may fill in this template to create your own unique session to meet the needs of your target group

Subject title

Purpose of the activity

Duration

Location and tools Number of participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks

End of session reflection methods

252

You may use this sheet to describe the theoretical material you would be using during the session

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

253

Literature 1. Myers David G., Psichologija, 2000. 2. www.sociologai.lt [viewed 2021 09 22]. 3. Artemjeva N., Kudriašova E., paskaita „Kodėl reikalingas emocinis intelektas“, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9hrb4rGeEg [viewed 2021 09 22]. 4. Marcuse H., Vienamatis žmogus, Vilnius: Kitos knygos, 2014. 5. Klooster D., Kritinis mąstymas – kas tai? Permainos, 2001 (4), p.36–40. 6. Dewey J., Education and Democracy, New York: Macmillan (pirmas leidimas 1916). 7. Tatarkiewicz W., Filosofijos istorija III, Vilnius: Alma littera, 2003. 8. Jaruševičienė L., Valius L., Bulotaitė E. ir kt., Jaunų žmonių lytinė ir reprodukcinė sveikata, Kaunas: Vitae Litera, 2005. 9. Miralles F., Garcia H., Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, Los Angeles, 2017. 10. Heera H. S., Reiki. Senovinis gydymo menas, 2020. 11. www.koucingopaslaugos.lt [viewed 2021 08 24]. 12. Readings for Reflective Teaching, London: Continuum, 2002. 13. Kolb. D. A., Fry R., “Toward an applied theory of experiential learning”, Theories of Group Process, London: John Wiley, 1975. 14. Dilts R., Grinder J., Delozier J., Bandler R., Neuro-Linguistic Programming: Volume I: The Study of the Structure of Subjective Experience, Cupertino, CA: Meta Publications, 1980. 15. Hays, 2020, https://www.hays.com.au/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-resume [viewed 2021 08 28]. 16. Northeneastern University, 2020, https://onlinebusiness.northeastern.edu/master-of-businessadministration-mba/knowledge/elevator-pitch-guide/pitch-examples/ [viewed 2021 08 28]. 17. Walters R., 2020, https://www.robertwalters.com.au/career-advice/cv-and-interview-tips/how-to-nail-a-jobinterview-in-the-first-5-minutes.html [viewed 2021 08 28]. 18. Рис Э., Бизнес с нуля, 2011. 19. Harari Y. N., Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, 2007. 20. Марк M., Пирсон К., Герой и бунтарь. Создание бренда с помощью архетипов, 2006. 21. «Как построить персональный бренд: план действий от Ярославы Гресь», https://www.epravda.com.ua/ publications/2019/10/19/652732/ [viewed 2021 08 28]. 22. «Как учителю построить персональный бренд», https://osvitoria.media/opinions/yak-vchytelyu-stvorytypersonalnyj-brend/ [viewed 2021 08 28]. 23. 23. «Курс Андрея Федорива», https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQTSvbk5fcxD3SlnxTfDkmOrpTRlH5_o6 [viewed 2021 08 28]. 24. «От торговой марки — к иконе», https://ain.ua/special/brand-lift/ [viewed 2021 08 28]. 25. «Ключевые элементы построения персонального бренда – видео Women’s Empowerment Program», https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w4mQNn3nV8 [viewed 2021 08 28]. 26. «Как стать успешным и публичным предпринимателем – видео Women’s Empowerment Program», https://youtu.be/NU6DB3w2qwU [viewed 2021 08 28]. 27. Титов В., Комьюнити-менеджмент, 2019. 28. T-Kit on Intercultural Learning, 2000. 29. Mokymo apie ES metodų rinkinys Pažink Europą, https://ec.europa.eu/lithuania/sites/default/files/pazinkeuropa-2019.pdf [viewed 2021 08 28].

254

256

WORK BOOK for youth workers engaged in career-focused education activities

Articles inside

1. Project management

Literature

2. Attracting funding

Module X. Implementation of social initiatives

2. Empathic communication

3. Critical thinking

1. Development of conflict situations and their resolution

3. Design Thinking

Module IX. Effective leadership methods

4. Roles in the team

2. Principles of leadership and their development, charisma

1. Team building and needs

3. Organization of events

Module VIII. Formation and empowerment of the group

2. Personal brand. Part II: 6 steps in creating your own personal brand

1. Personal brand. Part I. The first steps in creating your own personal brand

Module VII. Business communication

3. Commercial offer

4. Sales

2. Public speech

1. Presentation

Module VI. Idea positioning, sales

4. Marketing

3. How does a business start?

2. The emergence of money, entrepreneurship and pricing

1. Idea pitch and business model

4. Job interview

Module V. Business fundamentals

2. Curriculum Vitae (CV

3. Cover letter and job search

1. Job search methods and work practice

Module IV. Job search methods and employment

4. Basics of Neuro Linguistic Programming

1. Emotional intelligence

2. Emotion management

3. Comfort zone

Module III. Emotions and inner comfort

4. Motivation

3. Goal and vector

2. Problem solving and change management

1. Learning and thinking

Module II. Goals and motivation

3. Financial management

2. Time and energy management

1. Lifestyle and career

8. The importance of critical thinking in career development

Module I. Lifestyle

7. Use of digital tools in career guidance

6. Development of youth entrepreneurial skills

4. Accompanying a young person to the labour market by organizing various forms of work placement

3. Individual work with young people, accompanying them on their career path

5. Being next to young people when they receive their first income

Planning canvas of career guidance program

1. Youth development and what is important to know about the career guidance of modern youth

Introductory word

2. Group career counselling activities for young people: what is important to know?